Champions
by The Aura Gardian
Summary: Ash Ketchum returns to Pallet Town to find a surprise or two waiting for him. An unknown figure reveals himself and changes Ash forever, putting him down a path that may actually lead to victory. Warning: This is a darker take on the X and Y and XY and Z series of the Anime. There won't be large amounts of gore, but expect Adult themes. I Don't Own Pokémon! On Hiatus.
1. Prologue

Ash Ketchum's return to Pallet Town was one of bitter-sweet feelings for the 17 year old. On the one hand, he got to return to his home, family, and best friends, he was also coming home empty handed. Ash had ended up in the top 8 of the Vertress Conference. And, all though he had spent the last few weeks on several ferries having a great time, he felt as if he let his friends down, human and Pokemon alike. And now he was dealing with the hardest part of losing, the self doubt. He never blamed his Pokemon for the loses, but he did come close with Charizard, he wouldn't think of it. They weren't the ones calling the plays, he was. After each loss, he always thought of what he didn't do. Pikachu, always the optimist, didn't let him stay down this dangerous path of thought and easily cheered him up.

When Ash approached his home, he saw the ever present Mr Mime. As always, Mimey was sweeping with an apron on. 'Why he was sweeping the front yard', Ash thought to himself, he would never know. "Hi Mimey!" was Ash's words to the Pokemon, "Long time, no see!" The psychic type just looked at him as if he was crazy for a second, but he went back to sweeping.

When Ash walked into his home, the immediate smell of the most delicious food he had ever eaten had filled his senses. It smelled like his mother was baking cookies, chocolate chip if he wasn't wrong. "Mimey, are you done outside? I need help with Ash's cookies." She called to the nonexistent mime upon hearing the front door close.

"Well, I'm not Mimey, but I would be more than happy to help!" Ash called back.

Delia came rushing out of the kitchen, wearing a hairnet. "Ash, your home!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised. "I thought you were supposed to be back in a couple of days!"

He was able to board an earlier ferry to get home, largely because he was already on said ferry. "Well, after the Conference, Cilan, Iris, and I all went on a trip through the Decolore Islands and afterwards the cruise liner we were on let off in Olivine City and I took a ferry to Vermillion. I just needed to fly the rest of the way here." Ash told his mother while she cleaned up the house.

"Ash, if you want, I can whip up something for you. Why don't you just go clean up?" Ash took his mother's advice and went up stairs.

As he entered the room, he did what he usually did after a journey. First, he unpacked his backpack of clothing, much of which was dirty, and put his sleeping bag in his closet. Next, he set some mementos on a shelf, one of which was an old pink ribbon, like the type you see on sun hats. Ash always had it, but he couldn't remember why. Something about someone he met a long time ago. He then shed himself of his current clothing, donning just a clean black shirt and a pair of shorts, plus his shoes.

As he descended the stairs, he told his mom he was going to see his Pokemon. Pikachu had also appeared out of the kitchen, sucking on a ketchup packet his mother had given him. The two then walked up to Professor Oak's lab and knocked on the door. It took a few moments for the door to open, as the professor was probably busy. However upon opening the door, Oak's expression had changed to one of joy. "Ash, my boy, aren't you a bit early back from the Unova Region?" asked the older man. Ash explained to him how he got back so soon and handed him his Pokedex. Oak was always interested in receiving his Pokedex because he sometimes added small notes to Pokemon he had seen and he had an uncanny knack to just stumble upon legendary Pokemon that rarely were ever studied. Ash, of course, asked to go see his Pokemon. "Of course, come on in!"

* * *

As the happy reunion between Pokemon and trainer commenced, three shady figures observed the happy scene, unknown to our hero.

"Everyone remember our mission?" shrilled one of them, a woman.

"This one we should have no problem with whatsoever." a second one said, a deep male voice.

The third one just looked on the scene below, with a look in his eyes that almost looked like yearning.

"James? You better not screw this up." the woman shrilled again, this time to the third member of the group.

"You guys ever think about leaving Team Rocket?" he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"No, where would I go? Where would _you_ go?" said the second figure, with a tone that said "Duh".

"I don't know, but there has got to be a nice place out there to settle down." the third one said.

"Get your head out of the clouds," the woman said, "Team Rocket is your life. Now, we get to work."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _So, what did you think? Should I keep going? This one is shorter than most of the rest of the ones I'm going to write because it just sets the stage for the next chapter._

 _I hope to have the next one up in about a week. See you then!_


	2. Who's this?

Ash's reunion had not only been for his captured Pokémon. A Riolu, the same one that he helped in Sinnoh had returned to help him in his endeavors. Plus, Ash did have a similar Aura to Sir Aaron's, so Riolu decided that someone had to train the boy to use his gift. He had also brought with him a Ralts that he was friends with and felt inspired by Riolu's tale. The second Pokémon that had returned was the Larvitar he met in Johto. His mother had allowed him to journey with Ash after how well he had treated the Larvitar. Through Riolu, Ash learned of the difficult journey to get to the small town. The final Pokémon that had returned was Ash's first Pokémon, Butterfree and his mate. Through Riolu's translations, Ash had learned of the fact that the pink Butterfree was being constantly attacked by poachers, as pink Butterfree are extremely rare. Ash's Butterfree had suggested that they rejoin him for protection, although he also wanted to feel the energy of battle again. Ash gladly accepted everyone on to his team and was just about to head back to get lunch when three particularly annoying thieves just happened to show up.

"Really guys? I just got back. Can't I have one day off?" Asked a hopeful Ash.

" 'A day off' is the question, so twerpish indeed!" started the redhead.

"A question to be answered when we feel the need." continued a man with blue hair.

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future!"

"Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the black darkness of the universe."

"Carving our names into the Rock of Eternity!" stepped in a feline Pokémon.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!" said the redhead.

"And with thunderous emotion, I am James." said the man, a bit melancholy.

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!" exclaimed Meowth.

"And now gather, under the name of Team Rocket!"

While the three were saying their motto, Ash lost interest in them for a brief moment, and when he realized they were done, he said, "About time you guys get done. Cassidy and Biff take a shorter time than that."

Professor Oak then came running up to him and handed a phone to him. " **THE NAME'S BUTCH!** " was what the man on the other end of the phone yelled before hanging up.

Ash, unfazed by the outburst, handed back the phone. "Pikachu, just Thunderbolt them." The electric mouse started charging up an attack when he heard an unfamiliar command.

"Salamence, Dragon Pulse!" exclaimed a man that virtually appeared out of nowhere. The pulse hit the two Pokémon that were released, Seviper and Carnivine, and knocked both back into their trainers. The trio quickly recovered, but their Pokémon didn't.

The man that has called the order then started to approach the three. It was now they all got a good look at the stranger. He was tall, but lanky man, wearing a black trench coat, a hood, black gloves, and boots that matched the rest of the clothing. As he approached, two black swords "materialized" in his hands, seemingly coming out of nowhere. James peed his pants and fainted at the sight of them.

"I would kindly suggest that you no longer bother Ash Ketchum, his Pokémon, or anyone associated with him." the man said, so monotone that he was all the more terrifying.

"What makes you think we will listen to you?" retorted Jessie, followed by Meowth saying, "Yeah, we only listen to the boss."

The man then, only a few feet away, raised a sword and put it to rest against Jessie's cheek. "Because I asked nicely once. I would hate to see what would happen if I repeated myself." he said in cold humor.

Meowth, realizing it was useless to stand against the man, slowly backed away, saying, "Come on Jessie, lets go." Jessie nodded her head and ran off with Meowth, leaving James behind. He then woke up, startled like a Stantler in the headlights, paralyzed.

The dark man turned to James and one blade started to "dissolve" and disappear. With the newly freed up hand, he picked up James by the collar and put him on his feet. Still holding his collar, he said, "James, unlike your cohorts, I believe that you can be better than a thief. So, I'm giving you a chance. Quit Team Rocket. I don't care what you do afterwards, as long as it's honest work. And take off the jacket."

James quickly agreed and removed his jacket and ran off into the wood, saying, "Sorry Ash!"

The man then turned towards Ash, Professor Oak, and the newly arrived Delia, came to collect Ash for lunch. He started to walk closer to them. See all of what just happened, all of the Pokémon in the ranch got into battle stances, daring the man to make one wrong move. "Ash, I would like to talk to you. Alone." he told them. The remaining sword disappeared, similarly to the way the first one did.

Ash's mother then stepped in front of her son. "No, he's not going anywhere with you _alone_ , not with those _things!_ " she exclaimed.

"I give you my word that I won't harm your son physically. All I want to do is talk. Plus, he owes me. Those two won't be coming back." he said calmly.

Riolu then began tugging on Ash's arm. 'I trust him. His aura says what he proposes is truth.' he told him through aura.

"Okay, I'll go." Ash said, which caused everyone, person or Pokémon, to give him a confused stare. As he started to walk towards the mysterious man, he said, "If he wanted to hurt us, he would have done it already."

"He's right."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _Who is this mystery figure? What is it that he wants with Ash? Why are there swords? All questions will be answered next week! (Well, maybe not the one with the swords. But, clues will be given to what they are)_

 _To give credit where credit is due, DeltaRaptor762's "Pokémon: The Kalos Chronicles" inspired a lot of this and the next few chapters. Please check it out!_

 _I have gotten some interesting reviews so far. So, why not reply to a few?_

Thor94 - look good, but too short to give an opinion.

could be interesting if it's a threesome pairing with ash paired with michael and serena

 _Well, thanks for the positive feedback. Yeah, I know it was a little short, and this one was a little short too. But there will be no threesome pairing any time soon. I have other things in mind for Michael. Sorry to disappoint!_

Bankai777 - Will Delia meet Serena.

 _Of course!_

Guest - indeed just be sure to make this an amourshipping fanfic its indeed sweet and spicy and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud, remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude.

 _First off, this is an amourshipping fic, but Ash meeting up with Serena is still a little bit away. Second, would who ever wrote this review mind leaving your name? I just want to know who to credit this to. But thanks for the support, it's nice to know that even this early on that people like this._

 _I hope to have the next one up next week. See you then!_


	3. Shadow

The two walked into the forest, Ash following the man as he obviously already knew where he was going. They soon arrived at a small pond. The man went over to a fallen log and sat down and indicated that he could sit next to him. Ash did so. He was the first to talk.

"So, what's your name?" Ash asked, hoping to start the conversation.

"Telling you my name would put you in more danger than you already are. So I won't tell you my name." said the man, "But if you want something to call me, call me Shadow."

"Why Shadow?" Ash asked.

"Some of my friends say that I am a Shadow of who I use to be. But that was a long time ago." he answered.

"So, Why did you want to talk?" Ash inquired.

"Well, I would like to speak to you about your dream. And, please refrain from interrupting me so that I may explain further." Shadow stated. Ash agreed to his conditions, eager to learn. Shadow then began to speak. "I believe that there are several reasons why you haven't gotten far in your dream. The first of which is your attitude. Time-over-time you have underestimated your opponent, may it be a gym leader, your rival, or just some random trainer you run into. Confidence is your enemy in the sense that it is very dangerous to have too much of it."

"Also, each time you enter a new region, you only ever bring Pikachu. What is your reasoning behind that?" Shadow asked.

"Well, I would think that they would like a break from battling and Pikachu is always just as enthusiastic as I am when it comes to battles." Ash answered honestly.

"You're not wrong, most Pokémon do need rest every once in awhile. But you only ever brought Charizard with you in any other region other than the one you originally journeyed in and when you had Charizard transferred to you, it was a bit late to the Conference. This brings me to another one of your problems. Your team choices are problematic. In the Sinnoh League, you got a chance to switch Pokémon in between rounds. In your battle against Tobias, you used Pikachu, Sceptile, Gible, Swellow, Torkoal, and Heracross. Correct?" Shadow finished with a rhetorical question and continued. "You knew he had _at least_ a Darkrai and possibly had others of the same power. If I were in your situation, I would have used Heracross, Sceptile, Charizard, Kingler, Staraptor, and Gallie. Those six are the strongest Pokémon you owned at the time and were trained well enough to go against legendaries."

"What about Pikachu?" Ash interrupted.

"Ah, onto your next problem. You rely too much on Pikachu. I'm not going to say Pikachu is weak. It did defeat Regice. But he can only do so much. There were many chances to evolve Pikachu. Why didn't you?"

"Well, he didn't want to evolve. He feels that he has to prove himself able to defeat opponents without evolving." Ash said with confidence.

"Okay, but still, my statement is only getting stronger. There is only so much he can do. The biggest Pokémon is Groudon. Even if it didn't attack, Groudon will still win. Pikachu's attacks just won't do enough damage."

"Well, I won't force him to evolve just to win." Ash exclaimed.

"Ok then. Like I said, Pikachu is not weak or to force him to evolve. Just train him to counter other types." Shadow stated. "Teach him moves like Grass Knot."

Ash made mental note of this and continued listening.

"Another factor is your training time. As a future Pokémon Master, you need to make sure that your Pokémon are ready for anything. When I was journeying, I had a strict training schedule. I would encourage the same for you. Also, don't spend all of your time training. You need to balance work and relaxation."

"The last factors are the people you call friends. You help them too much."

"So you're saying that I shouldn't help them" Ash asked, furious he could say that about his friends.

"No, but let me continue to answer your question. First, the one named Misty. As far as I know, she only traveled with you to pay for a new bike and the moment you did, she left. Next, Brock. He, while saying he wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder, he was obviously more interested in human breeding. You also relied upon him too much. He cooked when you were hungry and treated injuries if any one got hurt. You never had to learn any of these skills due to him."

"But leaving Brock, let's go onto May. She wants to be a Top-Coordinator, but she has recently lossed at the Johto Grand Festival. Throughout your journey with her and Dawn, they used much of your time asking for help with things they knew already. They ended up using you." Shadow finished.

"How did I know what you said about May losing is true?" Ash asked with a glare.

"Because I defeated her in the finals. I did the same with Dawn in the Hoenn Grand Festival." "However, onto your newest companions, Cilan and Iris. Neither one had a true reason to travel with you either. And you relied on them too much aswell."

"So you are saying I should just travel alone?" Ash asked.

"Actually you have several options. You can travel alone, with another person, or in a group. Just be sure to stay focused on your journey, because at the end of the day, it's not your problem." Shadow finished his statement.

Ash, unable to hold it together any longer, broke down crying. 'He's right. I trained for so long only to fail. I wonder what everyone thinks about me.' Shadow expected some tears, truth always brought some. But he sensed something more, like an old memory that you cherish. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing."

"It's obviously bigger than nothing. Much bigger. Whatever it is, I can keep it a secret." Shadow stated.

Ash then took a deep breath. "I don't know. I have this old, pink ribbon. I feel like it should be important to me, but I don't remember why I have it or why I should feel that it is important."

"I can help with that. One thing I can do is read memories." Shadow said." "You'd do that? How?"

"Ash, I can do many things. My swords are another. All I need is your permission." Ash nodded, "Alright, I can't say this won't hurt."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _So, our mystery man reveals his name as Shadow. He has quite the resume, but much of it will be revealed at a later date. Can anyone guess how Shadow can read memories? And why is he so interested in Ash?_

 _So, this week I will put another part up because of it's length. See you then!_


	4. A Walk Through the Woods

_Twelve Years Prior…._

Ash was walking through the forest. At the moment, he was stalking a Poliwag that he was trying to bring to show-and-tell. It was a smaller Poliwag, but he just had a good feeling about it. Or maybe it was just today, he always got these strange feelings when something good was about to happen.

" _Mere!_ " Ash heard someone yell. It sounded like a girl. He then heard crying from the other side of a bush. He moved through the branches looking for whoever it was. What he found was similar to what he thought it was. It looked like a girl from camp had tripped and fell over. "Hi! Are you okay?" he asked.

"N-n-n-no, I fell and hurt my knee." she stuttered.

Ash then walked over to the girl and got down to look at her knee. It was bleeding a little. So, Ash took out the handkerchief he carried with him and wrapped it around her knee and said a magic spell his mommy had taught him. "Pain, pain, fly away!" he finished with wild gestures.

He got back up on his feet and gestured for her to get up. She tried, but found that she couldn't. "Don't give up until it's over." he told her and offered her his hand and pulled her up, with her falling into his arms in a hug. He didn't think anything of it at the time. It was a short hug and when she pulled away, he gave her a cheesey smile and said, "See, you got up!" triumphantly. He then held her hand and walked out of the forest, like a little gentleman.

The duo walk for a little while, but the girl's knee started to hurt again. So, Ash let her get on top of his back and gave her a Grumpiggy back ride to the nurse. She left to get some ice to put on the girl's knee. So, as it was the first time they had sat down to relax, Ash asked the girl what her name was.

"My name is Serena." she said, "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem." he said, "Anyone would have."

The camp lasted another month and rarely did you see the two apart. Gary would have teased him about his 'girlfriend', but he was too jealous that he _didn't_ have one. There were several girls he asked out, but they never accepted his offers.

At the end of the camp, there were tears. Serena didn't want to leave. She tried to convince both her mom and Ash's, but they wouldn't let her stay. When they were separated, they decided that Ash would eventually find her and they would never part. To seal the promise, they exchanged an item with each other, Ash's handkerchief and Serena's ribbon from her hat.

* * *

 _Present Day…._

"You must have cared a lot about her if you kept onto it for so long. I just wonder why you forgot." said Shadow, puzzled, "Before I take my leave, I have one more thing to say. Make sure that you find Serena. She seems to have been extremely important to you while you were younger. She might be able to help you keep going when times get tough." After saying this, Shadow stood up, handed Ash a book, titled _Natural Remedies of Kalos_ , and walked into the forest.

"Why did you want to know more about Serena?" Ash asked.

Shadow turned around. "A long time ago, there was once a girl I loved more than anything, though I didn't know until it was too late. Then, one day, I lost her forever. I couldn't let go. I lost twenty years of my life. If you don't find her, you might suffer the same fate." He then simply continued to walk away.

As Ash returned to the ranch, he was swamped in attention, mostly worry.

"Did he hurt you?" was the first thing out of Delia' s mouth.

Ash reassured her, saying that they talked. He then turned to his Pokemon, now fully assembled. "Everyone," he said, "I think it's about time we start some serious training. And I have decided to stay until my next birthday!" Many roars were the cheers that told Ash that he had made the right decision. "But first, I need to deal with my headache."

* * *

Else Where in the Pokemon World...

Giovanni had plenty of bad days in the past. He had days that were worse than most days. Today was one of the worse days. His defeat in the Unova Region left him in shock. For _years,_ he had thought those imbeciles chased that kid and his Pikachu. He always put them off as being stupid for following a mere child for what they described as one of the strongest Pokemon they had ever seen. Now, he knew just how right they were. The Pikachu was _very strong_. He must have many strong Pokemon at that ranch. But, as always, his plan went down the gutter. That man just showed up out of nowhere, threatened James into leaving Team Rocket and now, due to nothing staying a secret, no one would go anywhere near the boy. To make matters worse, his false company had been torn down, money wasted, and he couldn't get any Pokeballs for any price, rendering the organisation without any Pokeballs. He hoped that the message coming through was good news.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _So, we discover more of Ash's back story (it isn't changed much, I know). So, why did Ash forget about Serena if she meant so much to him? And who died in Shadow's past to cause him to turn out this way._

 _This is the first chapter in which I get to show off the fact that I take French. When Serena yells for 'Mere', she is calling for her mother. In any chapter that includes French, I'll put a translation here so that no one has to Google what a word means._

 _Time for more reviews!_

Guest - very curious yet a very interesting amourshipping chapter dude and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud, remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude

 _Thanks for the support! (Amourshipping Forever!) I really enjoy reading reviews that you guys leave, so please do! Seeing people like what I'm writing makes me very excited and pumped to write more. See you soon!_


	5. Michael

Three months had past since Shadow's talk with Ash and he had put the time to great use. Riolu, Ralts, Corphish, Buizel, and Scraggy had all fully evolved. Bulbasaur, Gible, Snivy, and a newly returned Squirtle had evolved into Ivysaur, Gabite, Servine, and Wartortle respectively. He had also traded away some of his 29 Tauros _(seriously, why so many?)_. He had traded for a pink Dratini, Jolteon, Golett, and Rufflet. In addition, Ash had also learned to cook simple things, like pasta, and how to treat injuries, human and Pokemon, with natural remedies. Lucario was also training him to use his Aura. He had just mastered the ability to see through his Aura. Lucario said that it was an impressive feat to master even that in such a short period of time.

Ash was already to go. The Kalos Region, and Serena, was waiting for him. At the moment, he was wearing a deep blue long sleeve jacket with a white strip running around the edge of the jacket, a pair of dark blue jeans, red, black, and white sneakers, black fingerless gloves with red bands around the wrist, and a red and white hat. He also had a new backpack, filled with a sleeping bag, a small tent, change of clothes, a first-aid kit, and some snacks. He also had Serena's ribbon packed.

He was standing at the door when his mother gave him a box. "Happy Birthday! I hope you like it."

He opened it and found a Pokegear. "It's the newest model. It can make calls, be used as a map, and it has a Kalos radio card loaded so you can listen to the radio."

Ash hugged Delia. "I love it!"

She was delighted. "Go on, you need to go pick up your Pokemon before you board the airplane."

* * *

"Ah, Ash. I think I found you a great gift! I was able to pull some strings. While you were in the Unova Region, the League started a new program." The Professor said as he walked with Ash. "They implemented a trainer class system. All trainers start as a Bronze Rank trainer, which are allowed only 6 Pokemon to be on hand. They can then be upgraded to Silver Rank, which are allowed an increased carry amount of nine. Gold Rank is the next rank and trainers with a Gold Rank can carry thirteen Pokemon. Platinum is the highest rank. People of that rank are allowed an infinite number of Pokemon. But, it is restricted to people in the League, Gym Leaders, Elite Four and The Champion are just a few. Do to your achievements, I have boosted you to the Gold Rank." Hearing he could bring more Pokemon with him made his decision a lot easier.

As he walked back to the ranch, he saw all of his Pokemon lined up around the gate, each letting out a cry, saying, "Pick me, pick me!"

"Alright guys, I have made up my mind as to who I'm bringing. Sceptile, Charizard, Lucario, Dratini, Scrafty, and Staraptor will be going with me first. Don't be sad if you're not going this time, I'll be rotating my team often enough so you all will see me." He returned his selections while all of his Pokemon expressed their happiness. He then had to literally run to make it to his plane, Pikachu getting a nice and bumpy ride.

* * *

As Ash boarded his plane, a girl of the same age as our hero was deep in her dreams.

 _Their lips collided and she felt his hands move up her back. He pulled away. She could have looked into his eyes forever. "Serena, I…."_

And she got one rude awakening. "Fletchling, you know I don't like being woken up like that! I was having the most wonderful dream." She started to blush when she thought about the intimate visions.

After she got herself under control, she walked down stairs. "Serena, you slept in again! How am I supposed to teach you to race Rhyhorn if you don't get up on time. _C'est ridicule!_ " her mom said as Serena sat down in front of a plate of pancakes. Not that she would tell her, but Serena hated Rhyhorn racing. She couldn't express herself in a pink jumpsuit. What she would love is for her knight to find her and whisk her away.

* * *

When Ash got off his flight, he walked inside the airport. And proceed to walk into someone and they both fell down.

"Whoops, sorry. Didn't see you." he said, a grin spread across his face.

"I wasn't looking either." Ash said.

The person he walked into looked to be about his age and was wearing a similar jacket to his but in black, black cargo pants, brown boots, black gloves, and a black fedora.

"Hey, are you Ash Ketchum?."

Ash was astonished. "How do you know who I am?"

"I saw your battle against Tobias in the Sinnoh League. You're the only person known to beat his Darkrai." he said. "I would love to battle you." Ash agreed. "Oh, by the way, I'm Michael."

* * *

The two had moved to a battlefield and were on opposing sides of the field.

"So, what rules?" Michael asked.

"I'll use Pikachu, my starter." Ash stated.

"Okay, then I'll use my own starter." he then released a Pokemon Ash didn't recognize. It was bipedal and was mostly pink. It also had ribbons, one around it's neck and one near it's ear. The ends seemed to blow backward.

"Alright, never seen that before. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he exclaimed. Pikachu quickly charged the attack and launched it. It hit his opponent, but did little damage.

"Evui, use Dazzling Gleam!" Michael said as his Pokemon released a blast of pink energy at Pikachu. It pushed back the yellow electricity and hit the small Electric-type, but did less damage than it would have if it hit directly.

"Shadow Ball, rapid fire!" Michael commanded and the pink Pokemon started to shoot off small ball of purple. Pikachu began to run around and dodge the small projectiles.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash ordered. He ran forward, sparking and collided with Michael's Evui. It flew back a few feet.

"Use…." Michael's command was cut off by a duo of people. They were both in red.

"Stop! We will be seizing your Pokemon for the Team Flare cause." the man said.

"Really, what makes you think that?" Michael said. Ash barely knew him, but it really surprised him to hear the total change in his tone.

"Our goal is to capture every powerful Pokemon to preserve the region's natural beauty from the human race. Your Pokemon have an extreme amount of potential for our organization. Please turn them over." the man continued and proceeded to pull out a handgun and aimed it at Michael.

He seemed undeterred by the weapon. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

"What are you going to do, have your girly Pokemon attack us?" the woman said.

"A, Evui is a girl, so I guess that she should take it as a complement. B, No, I was going to do it myself." he finished before rushing forward with inhuman speed and a black staff appeared out of nowhere. He hit the gun out of the man's hand.

"Ah! Go Purrloin! Use Fury Swipes." the woman panicked.

"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!" Michael released another Pokemon and it rushed forward, knocking out the Purrloin.

"Go Malamar, use Hypnosis!" the man said.

Michael looked into glowing yellow lights on the abdomen of the Pokemon, beginning to rock back and forth, mesmerized by the Pokemon that Ash didn't recognize. Then suddenly, a blur of blue and white jumped out of a tree and threw some white fluff at the Malamar, blocking out the yellow lights on its abdomen.

"Psychic Malamar!" the man ordered. The Psychic-type grabbed the form and threw it to the ground.

"Froakie." the little Pokemon said, resisting the move.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said and the Electric Mouse charged up the attack.

"Enough, Hitmonchan, Bullet Punch it!" Michael had come back to his senses and ordered the attack. It flew forward and started to punch the Psychic-type with steel clad fists, doing a lot a of damage. Pikachu then let of the attack and knocked out the squid-like Pokemon.

"I think that you bit off a little more than you could chew. So I would suggest you run." Michael told the duo. And they took his advice.

"Where did that black staff come from?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I used a little bit of Aura to do that." Michael stated, nonchalantly.

"That was Aura? I thought it could only be solidified into spheres." Ash said, dumbfounded. "I can't do that."

Now it was Michael's turn to be surprised. "You can use Aura, too. Now I just have to travel with you."

"Why would you want to travel with me?" Ash inquired, hearing Shadow's words in the back of his mind.

Michael shrugged. "The last adventure I went on, I was alone. Having some human interaction might do me some good."

The small blue Pokemon limped over to the duo and fainted. "That's not good."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _So, we finally meet Michael! He doesn't have an exact personality defined by Pokemon XD, so I kind of used it as an excused to sort of self insert myself into the world. Unfortunately, I can't do much of the things he can. Michael's clothing is based off of my character in Pokemon X, with the exception of the gloves. Evui is obviously a Sylveon. Her name will be explained later on by her owner. The reason she is nicknamed is because when Serena receives her own Eevee, and later Sylveon, I don't want to write "Serena's Sylveon" or "Michael's Sylveon". I think it would be just too confusing._

 _Now, onto the hard part, why does Michael have Aura abilities? In this reality, Michael never had the device on his headband that allowed him to identify Shadow Pokemon. Instead, I thought it would be a cool idea if Michael was somehow related to Rui, whom in my opinion can use Aura. So, this lead me down the path of Michael being Wes and Rui's son. Oh, and a lot more time passed in between Colosseum and XD (was I the only one who thought that it was a bit weird that only a few years passed between the two?) to not only allow Michael to grow up, but also to allow Shadow Pokemon to get recirculated into the hands of new trainers._

 _So, remember how I said this was a darker story? Well, here, there are guns. I won't put in here, "Mr. So-and-So fired his AK-47," because this isn't about what weaponry they are using, but more the action sequences._

' _C'est ridicule' means 'It's ridiculous' in French._

 _Reviews:_

Guest - Hey it seems you got my review thanks also i was wondering if you like to add guest oc's i might, though i wonder how you would react to an oc who is female, team rocket and researcher of aura guardian and a massive obsession of capturing and studying ash literally i bet you might think of her as a stalker but if you like to add this oc but , ... okay this might be a very spicy chapter dude and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud, remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude.

p.s.: if you see this review be sure to add an authors note to the next chapter.

 _You know, if anyone would like, either through PMs or just in Reviews, send in OC's. I can't promise I'll use them all, but I'll try my best. I may change something, like changing someone from Team Rocket to Team Flare, but I will strive to keep them as unchanged as possible. Oh, and here is your Author's note._

 _See you again next week!_


	6. Sycamore

"Alright, Serena, your training has been completed for the day. Go inside and get ready for lunch. I called your friend Shauna over for lunch." Grace called to her daughter, who had just been thrown off of Grace's Rhyhorn.

Serena huffed with anger. 'Third time today, third time this darn Pokemon has tossed me!' She went inside and walked up the stairs to her room. She got undressed and walked got into the shower. She sighed in relief as the warm water ran down her body, easing away the pain of training. She soon got out and changed into a blue shirt and black pants.

By the time Serena had come down stairs, Shauna had arrived and was already eating a sandwich.

" _Salut!_ " Shauna greeted between bites.

Serena moved past and grabbed a sandwich herself, taking a bite.

"So, Rhyhorn training went well?" Shauna asked.

Serena just flashed her a look of contempt

"Alright, so not a good time." Shauna paused, thinking on how to get Serena talking. "I wonder if Ash looks hot?"

Serena nearly choked. "Sorry?"

Shauna gave her a mischievous look. "You heard me. I looked him up and saw him in a few league matches. I think he looks kind of cute."

"Why would I care?" Serena stated, using mock disinterest.

"I know that you care. Remember when I came over last week and you decided to take a nap? I heard you muttering his name and you started making kissing faces."

Serena huffed. "That proves nothing."

Shauna shrugged, "Alright, if you don't care, then when I see him, I will ask him out on a date."

Serena's face started to get red with anger. "You stay away from _my_ Ash!

Shauna started giggling. "I knew it! You have a crush on him!"

"That's it! I think it is time you leave!" Serena announced.

"Woah, hold on. I was just joking." Shauna put her hands in the air in surrender. "Meant nothing by it."

* * *

Ash and Michael were currently in a cab, trying to get to Professor Sycamore's lab. After seeing the small blue Pokemon faint, Michael tried to apply first aid to him, but due to his lack of experience with the species, he couldn't do much to help. He then suggested to take a cab to a Pokemon Center. Their driver actually told them that it probably was owned by the professor and the two of them decided that he would know what to do.

"Hey, we're here. Due to the situation you don't need to pay me. Just get him to Sycamore." They expressed their gratitude to the man and rushed into the large building.

"Hello, nice weather outside, right? Are you new trainers?" A woman in a white labcoat asked. She soon, however, saw the Pokemon Ash was holding. "Oh no! Follow me, quickly!"

They both ran after her and found themselves in what looked like the back of a Pokemon Center.

"Place him in the machine so we can get him healed up." Ash did so. A round glass panel slid over the Pokemon and he placed his hand over where its head was. "The Professor will want to speak to you." the woman said.

Michael placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Come on, let's go talk to him."

When Ash and Michael walked into the main room of the research laboratory, they met the Professor. "Thank you so much for bringing Froakie back to the lab. I've recently been in contact with Froakie's trainer." the Professor explained.

"So, I'm going to guess that you are going to send him back?" Michael asked.

"Actually, he called to send Froakie back." Sycamore said sadly.

Ash gasped. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, as you know, one of my responsibilities is to present new trainers with their starter. Froakie is one of those Pokemon, but this Froakie has come back many times. Sometimes he abandons his trainer and other times his trainer will return him to me, saying that he won't listen to commands. I guess he hasn't met a trainer he approves of yet."

Then, a Garchomp walked out of the hall where Froakie was being healed.

"Woah, a Garchomp!" Ash said.

"Garchomp is actually one of the Pokemon that live here. She's quite gentle and caring, so everyone kind of sees her as a mother figure." Sycamore explained.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what kind of research do you do? I really haven't heard much about you in research circles." Michael asked.

The professor seemed to pick up. "Well, I do research on evolution, but not normal evolution. Come out to the back and I'll explain it a bit more."

* * *

As they walked into the small 'park', Michael and Ash saw several Pokemon running around.

"These are trainer's Pokemon that they can't carry. They sometimes allow me to do small amounts of research on them. The main thing I am looking for is their ability to Mega Evolve." The professor explained.

"Mega Evolve?" Ash asked.

"What would you say if I told you that some Pokemon can temporarily evolve during battle, but revert back to a previous form?"

"Pokemon can do that?" Ash exclaimed.

"Yes, and I believe that Garchomp can, which is why I caught it." Augustine continued. "We researchers don't know exactly how it works, but I think it requires a strong bond and two special stones, a Keystone and a Mega Stone for that Pokemon."

"I wish I knew if any of my Pokemon could Mega Evolve." Michael said.

"Well, send out your Pokemon and I could take a look."The professor said.

Both Ash and Michael nodded and released their Pokemon for inspection. Sycamore started with Michael's team, which was his Evui, Hitmonchan, Mamoswine, Dragonite, Flygon, and Kangaskhan. "I am pretty sure Kangaskhan can Mega Evolve and I think Flygon might, but the rest I'm not sure about."

He then moved to Ash's Sceptile, Charizard, Lucario, Dratini, Scrafty, and Staraptor. "I don't think Pikachu or Dratini can, because they aren't fully evolved, but I know Lucario, Charizard and Sceptile can Mega Evolve. Scrafty and Staraptor I have no idea about."

"Awesome! Did you hear that? You guys might be able to Mega Evolve and get even more powerful!" Ash exclaimed. The three confirmed to be able to Mega Evolve let out a loud roar, excited at the prospect of the added strength.

* * *

Sofie was walking out of the treatment center, with a fully recovered Froakie to share the good news. But when she reached the lobby, she saw two people, a man and a woman in labcoats.

"Hello? Might I ask why you have come?" she asked to the duo.

"We have come to do some research with the professor of course!" the man said.

"I wasn't informed of anyone coming today. I'll have to check with the professor before I can let you use the sensitive equipment." Sofie explained.

Suddenly, Froakie started to jump up and down, shouting something at the two. The commotion attracted Garchomp.

"Ah, a suitable test subject. Please stand back, for this is not for the faint of heart." the woman said, moving Sofie back while the man retrieved a steel grey box from a bag and threw it at Garchomp. It attached itself to her neck and and started shocking her, while her eyes had a light blue hue to them. Froakie, seeing his friend being hurt in this way, jumped onto the device and tried to remove it, but she threw him off, on accident.

"Garchomp, we would appreciate it if you came with us." the man started to fiddle with a remote control, causing Garchomp to let out a roar in pain.

* * *

Michael, Ash, and Professor Sycamore heard the roar.

"What was that?" Michael asked.

"That was Garchomp!" Ash said as he started running toward the sound.

When they reached the lobby, they saw Garchomp, the device, Froakie, and the two researchers.

"Professor, those two did this!" Sofie exclaimed.

"Hey who are you? What have you done?" he yelled.

"Hehehe, I guess we better introduce our selves!" the man exclaimed before both he and his associate removed their lab coats, revealing matching red suits.

"Team Flare! What are you doing here? I thought we taught you to not to bother people!" Michael yelled, angry.

"Team Flare?" Sycamore asked.

"They're bad guys who tried to steal our Pokemon earlier today." Ash explained.

"All according to plan." the woman said.

"Well, not exactly, but…" the man started before the woman put a heel into his toes.

That was right before Garchomp, in pain and anger, fired a Dragon Pulse, sending the duo flying. Now, they noticed that her eyes were red.

"Garchomp, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

An out of control Dragon Pulse was his answer as they ducked to avoid the move.

"It's that collar! We need to get it off!" Michael exclaimed.

Before any of them could stop her, she jumped out of the lab and started to run throughout the city, destroying buildings as she went.

"Garchomp!" Ash yelled, looking after her trail of destruction. "She must be in a lot of pain. We need to go after her!"

He then ran inside, calling for Charizard. Michael followed him, only he called for his Dragonite. The two were almost about to fly when Froakie jumped onto Charizard's back. "Fro Fro Froakie!" he said. "Do you want to come, too? Alright then! Let's go!" Ash said as Charizard rushed forward, with Michael close behind.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _And thus, the chase is on! So, we also get an introduction to Shauna, who will still act as Serena's rival, but that's a while off._

 _Team Flare will replace Team Rocket at points in this series, but don't expect them to be around all that much._

 _Reviews:_

Stars90 - Nice work. Only one thing, I have a hard time believing someone would trade away a pink Dratini for a Tauros

 _While I would agree that it might be hard to believe someone traded a pink Dratini away for a Tauros, I have gotten 6 IV, EV trained, Shines through Wondertrade, two holding Masterballs (not bragging about my success in Wondertrade), so it wouldn't surprise me if someone did make this trade._

Bleachedred Shinigami pokemon - give ash charizardite y and sceptilite because those are one of his strongest pokemon

 _Ash will be getting many of the Mega Stones available, including both Charizardites and the Sceptilite._

 _Thank you to everyone that has sent in OC's. The ones I've gotten so far have been great. But, if anyone still wants to send in their character(s), please do so. I really want to add in as many fan submissions as possible. I'll be seeing you next week!_


	7. The Leap

"She won't slow down!" Michael yelled to Ash. They had been trailing Garchomp for three hours and she didn't look to be looking for a rest. She then took a turn into the center of the town, toward Prism Tower.

"Come on, we need to stop her from destroying the tower!" Ash yelled back.

They could hear Officer Jenny below. "Everyone! A rampaging Garchomp is in this area of the city! Evacuate quickly!"

A news helicopter was in the area and was following Garchomp, too. Gabby stuck her head out to get a better look while Ty was shooting video.

"There is a Garchomp flying towards Prism Tower! We have no idea whose it is, but two trainers, one on a Charizard and the other on a Dragonite, have been pursuing it for many hours." She reported. She was cut off by a random Hyper Beam for Garchomp. "It appears that it is firing Hyper Beams at random targets, including us!"

* * *

Serena was just getting a drink when her mother called for her.

"Serena, take a look at this. Something terrible is happening!"

Serena huffed. "Yeah, something terrible happened to my face." She then saw what her mother was watching, a movie where a Garchomp was on a rampage through Lumiose City. "What movie is this?" She asked.

"It isn't. This is news straight from Lumiose."

Serena watch in horror as it went about the city, destroying building after building.

* * *

As Garchomp landed at the top of the tower, Ash and Michael landed as well.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Rage on the collar!" Michael commanded.

"No! Don't! You won't hit it with how much she is moving. Froakie, see if you can use your frubbles to stick her feet down!" Ash exclaimed, remembering how he had used them to block out that one Pokemon's Hypnosis.

He reached behind him, grabbing fistfuls of the sticky substance and threw them at her feet. It was now he saw the helicopter.

"Move away, it's not safe!" Ash yelled, making a 'move away' gesture.

"It looks like one of the trainers are trying to give us a message." Gabby said, right before Garchomp let lose a Hyper Beam at the news crew.

"We need to get that collar off! Come on Garchomp, just calm down." Ash said. He then ran and tried to hold her as still as possible. "Alright Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

Pikachu ran fan forward and hit the device with his metallic tail. It was broken into pieces and Garchomp fell to her knees, all of her energy drained. Both Pikachu and Froakie ran forward to check on her, when Froakie stepped on a chunk of concrete that broke off, causing Froakie to fall off the tower.

"Froakie!" Ash called as he jumped after the Pokemon.

The people below and inside the Yvonne Household gasped as they saw the boy go off the side of the building. Michael, however, had other ideas.

"Dragonite!" He then mounted his Pokemon and rushed down. He reached out for Ash's arm and grabbed it. He then pulled him onto Dragonite and landed softly of the paved road. The crowd that surrounded the town erupted in cheers.

* * *

"Sirs, what are your names?" a reporter asked, putting a mic in Ash's face.

"Uh, my name is Ash Ketchum and this is Michael…." Ash tried to remember Michael's last name.

"Natochenny. Michael Natochenny." he filled in.

"What made you go after Garchomp?" the reporter asked.

"She was being hurt, we couldn't just sit back." Ash answered without hesitation.

Then, Officer Jenny stepped in. "Please, leave them alone. They just went through hell to save the city. The Lumiose Police will issue an official report tomorrow."

The crowd dispersed and the Professor got a chance to talk to them.

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done today. You brought back Froakie and helped Garchomp."

Ash waved the thanks to the side. "It was nothing. Anyone would have done it."

"Am I to assume that you are going to challenge the Gyms around Kalos? You can sleep in the lab, or what's left of it, tonight. The inns can be rather expensive, so it would be the least I could do."

* * *

Serena and Grace breathed a sigh of relieve when they saw the boys reach safety. The camera switched to a view of the face of the boy with the blue jacket.

"Sirs, what are your names." a reporter asked.

"Uh, my name is Ash Ketchum and …."

That was all Serena heard before she started to jump up and down. " _Oh mon Arceus!_ " she yelled, "Did you see that? That was Ash!"

Grace had to take a moment to remember who she was talking about. "Oh, wasn't Ash the name of the boy you were friends with at Professor Oak's summer camp a few years ago?"

She started to nod. "Yep, and he is in the Kalos Region!" Serena then ran up stairs, her mother breathing out a sigh at her daughter's obvious crush on the boy.

* * *

"I hope you got a good night's sleep, even with the lab's condition at the moment." Professor Sycamore said to Ash and Michael as they entered the front courtyard of the lab.

"It was fine. I slept like a log." Ash reassured the man.

Michael expressed his thanks as well. Sycamore then pulled somethings out of his pocket. They were red on one side and black on the other, with a clear screen in between.

"I don't think I ever gave you a Pokedex, right? So, in thanks for your actions last night, I want to present both of you with these." he hand one to each of the two boys. "Now, I unfortunately have one more thing to ask. A girl in Vaniville Town wants to start her journey and I wanted to see if you would take a small detour to Aquacorde Town to meet with her and present her with her starter and Pokedex. It is directly south of Santalune City, the location of the Bug Badge." the professor asked.

"Sure, it looks like we might have to go through Santalune Forest, but we might meet some new Pokemon there, so it's a win-win." Michael agreed, checking a map on his Pokegear. He thanked them and passed them a box, containing her desired Pokemon and a Pokedex.

"So, we fly?" Ash suggested.

"Sure.

Ash walked over to the waiting Pokemon when he got hit in the head by frubbles. Froakie jumped off Charizard and walked over to Ash.

"What is it Froakie?" He asked.

"Fro Fro." he responded. He then put a Pokeball in Ash's hand.

"Do you want to come with me?" Froakie simply jumped up and returned himself as an answer.

"Well, I guess Froakie is your first Kalos Pokemon." Michael said.

Ash stood up and put the Pokeball in the air. "I just got….. A Froakie!" He announced.

"Was that really necessary?"

* * *

Grace hung up the phone and rushed up stairs to see her daughter, now in a black top and a red skirt with black knee-high socks and black shoes. Two hats were in front of her and she looked puzzled.

"Which one do you like better?" she asked.

"That one." Grace said, pointing at the hat with a white ball on the top.

"Okay, so this one." Serena said, putting down the one Grace suggested and putting on a pink hat with a black ribbon around the bottom of it.

"If you already knew, then why did you ask?"

Serena grinned. "Easy, the one you didn't pick was guaranteed to be the cuter one."

"Well, Professor Sycamore is sending two trainers to give you your starter. You're meeting in Aquacorde Town, near the water fountain in the middle of town." she told Serena. "I think it would be best for you to get moving. He said they were flying and would be there soon."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _And thus, the chase ends! Serena is also one step closer to meeting Ash and fulfilling her destiny! Too dramatic? Nah, just enough drama._

 _Did you know Arceus is "Arceus" in all languages? Not like almost every other Pokemon ("Greninja" is "Gekkouga" in Japanese or "Amphinobi" in French). So, when Serena says (or anyone really) "_ Oh mon Arceus," _she is just saying_ "Oh my Arceus."

 _See everyone next week!_


	8. Excuse Me?

Serena and Shauna were heading toward Aquacorde Town. They had started the walk a few hours before and it was still early.

"So, I guess that you saw Ash on the news last night?" Shauna asked.

"Yep, and I'm going to go meet with him as soon as I can." She responded, ecstatic at the thought of meeting up with her lost love.

"That other guy was kind of cute, right? Michael?" Shauna said.

"I really didn't get a good look at him." Serena said.

"So, where are we meeting the trainers?" Shauna asked, changing the subject.

* * *

"The fountain in the middle of town." She answered. "I would say that we will be in Aquacorde Town in about another hour."

"So, let me get this straight. Aside from challenging the League, you also came to Kalos to find a girl?" Michael asked while they waited near a fountain in Aquacorde Town.

"Yep." Ash responded.

"A girl that you barely remember?" Michael continued.

"Well, after Shadow looked through my memories, they have started coming back. I can remember that her name was Serena Yvonne, she had honey blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was really funny. I also felt differently around her. I never felt that way around anyone else, even Mom." Ash stated.

Michael started to chuckle. "And you have no idea what this feeling was?"

"Nope." Ash answered.

"Well, I can guess what it was, but I won't tell you." Michael replied.

"Why" Ash asked.

"It is probably something you will need to find out by yourself."

Ash decided to drop the subject, even though he was still wondering about what Michael had meant. "How will we know who we are looking for?" he asked.

"Wasn't there a photograph of her in the box?" Michael asked, opening the box and moving things around. He did succeed in finding an image. "This is who we are looking for." He said. She kind of looked familiar to Ash, but he caught a glimpse of her.

"Oh! I see her! She's just over there!" He said, jumping up.

They both walked over to the girl, and her friend that she was walking with. The girl whom matched the description started to run towards them and proceeded to jump on top of him.

"Ash! You're the one Professor Sycamore sent. _C'est tres bien_!" She exclaimed. Their eyes meet, a chance meeting, but it was enough.

"Serena?" He muttered.

"You remember me?" She asked.

"Of course!" He replied.

Her friend turned to look at each other, both knowing exactly what was going on with Serena. "So, if he is Ash, then you must be Michael. What you two did was really heroic." Shauna said.

"I was only doing what was right." He replied.

"Did you know that many find heroes attractive?" Michael nearly fell over.

"Um, sorry? Did I just hear you right?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Of course. Although, I do have a better word to describe you." She continued, noticeably changing her tone.

"And that would be?" He asked, extremely uncomfortable with the tone.

"You wanna guess? I'm quite sure you would get it right." She said, blinking her eyes.

"What's going on?" Michael inquired, stunned by the turn of events.

"Oh, come on. You know exactly what is going on, _Mon_ _Cherie_."

By this point, Ash and Serena had recovered and were now standing.

"So, how have you been, Serena?" Ash asked.

"I've been well. As you can tell, I made a friend. This is Shauna Kobori."

Ash held out his hand. "Well, nice to meet you Shauna."

"Nice to meet you too." She said, taking her attention away from Michael.

"So, what are you doing in the Kalos Region?" She asked.

"I'm aiming to beat the Pokemon League and become a Pokemon Master!" He exclaimed.

"And what are you doing?" Michael asked.

"I'm going to be a Pokemon Performer and become Kalos Queen." She stated.

"Performer? Is that like being a coordinator?" Ash inquired.

"Kind of, just less Pokemon battles and more dancing." Shauna stated. "What are you doing Michael?"

He shrugged. "No clue. I was thinking about challenging the gyms, but I don't know. What about you Serena?"

"I'm in the same boat as you, no idea." She stated.

Ash jumped up. "So why don't you come with us? We are going to travel the region, you might find something you enjoy."

Serena quickly agreed and both Michael and Shauna knew why. She was so obviously in love with the boy and didn't want him out of her sight. Michael knew Ash was too, but he didn't understand.

"Well, I might as well travel with you too, at least until Santalune City. After that, I will need to go see Professor Sycamore for my own Pokemon." Shauna said.

"It's almost four in the afternoon. Should we stay here for the night and head out in the morning?" Michael suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan. How about Serena and I go get something to eat and you guys get a few hotel rooms." Ash replied. "So, which hotel are we staying at?"

* * *

" _Monsieur et Mademoiselle,_ how many rooms would you like?" The receptionist asked.

"How many rooms are available?" Michael inquired.

"We currently have five rooms available, two king rooms and three queen rooms."

"Alright, we will take two rooms then, both kings." Shauna said, smiling innocently.

"Ah, no, actually we will take three rooms, just one king and two queens." Michael contradicted.

"Alright, that will be one hundred poken." Michael handed him a wad of cash and he was handed three keys. "Room 100 is the king. Rooms 101 and 102 are the queens." He said.

Michael expressed his thanks and then both he and Shauna headed outside to wait for their friends.

"You're no fun." Shauna said, pouting. He simply laughed.

"Here they come." Michael stated.

"How did things go?" Serena asked.

"Well, we got rooms, but there is a problem." Michael replied.

"What is the problem?" Ash asked.

"They only had three rooms left, so two of us are going to have to share a room."

Ash looked like he was deep in thought. "I'll share." He said once he made his mind up.

"I'll share too, I guess." Serena said, nervous. Ash probably didn't understand what she was so nervous about when he suggested they go up and start to eat.

"That was easy." Shauna said to Michael. He couldn't agree more.

It was about eight and the group decided to turn in for the night. And Ash and Serena decided to approach the topic of their sleeping arrangements.

"You take the bed serena and I'll sleep on the chair." he suggested, pointing at the piece of furniture in the corner. Serena shook her head.

"No, I want you to take the bed." She countered.

"Well, I want you to take the bed." Ash told her.

"But, what about you? You could hurt your back. You should take the bed." She told him.

"Well, why don't we just share the bed?" Ash asked, innocently. He had no idea how his suggestion might affect Serena. As far as he was concerned, it was no different than when he had slept next to the rest of his female companions. This was only different in the fact that they were in the same bed, not in two separate sleeping bags.

Serena, on the other hand, was extremely nervous at the prospect of sleeping next to the boy. She _never_ slept next to a boy before, much less someone she was attracted to. The only thing she could think about is what if she did something weird and caused Ash to want to get away from her.

"Serena, are you okay? I mean, if it's weird, then we don't have to, but…." Ash asked, concerned. Serena shook her head.

"Nope. It's fine." Her voice straining. "I'll just go change." She then disappeared into the bathroom.

Ash, deciding that it would be foolish to waste time, started changing into his own sleepwear. Serena came out of the bathroom soon after and started to watch him, not that there was much to see. He just put on his shirt. He saw her and motioned for her to come over.

"So, I guess we just lay down and sleep?" he asked.

"Yep" she confirmed.

So they both climbed onto the bed, laid down, and turned off the lamps, leaving them in darkness. They stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before wishing each other good night.

"Good night, Ash." Serena whispered.

"Sweet dreams, Serena." Ash whispered back.

And before they knew it, they were asleep.

Meanwhile, Michael and Shauna were listening to their companions' conversation. He was chuckling while she was giggling at their solution.

 _Author's Notes_

 _And thus, the Amorshipping begins! Finally, Ash and Serena meet, and Michael feels extremely uncomfortable around Shauna! Possible running gag acquired!_

Guest - (giggles) my my this is starting to get sweet and spicy amourshipping dude and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude.

 _What's the giggle for?_

 _See everyone next week!_


	9. Snuggling

When Ash woke up the next morning, he found himself in a strange situation. When he and Serena went to bed the night before, they were on opposite sides of the bed. But, at one point in the night, they must have moved closer together and they were now _snuggling,_ her facing him _._ Ash saw no way out of this without waking up the girl who was laying on his arm. He really didn't want to wake her up and right now the only way he foresaw him not doing that was if, by some miracle, she rolled over, off his arm.

But the chances of that happening were slim, so he decided that he was going to be waiting there for her to wake up by herself. 'She looks so pretty while she sleeps,' Ash thought to himself, 'Wait, what? Did I just think that Serena was pretty while she _slept?_ ' He was puzzled by the bizarre thought, well, bizarre to him. 'Where did that come from?'

Ash soon saw that Serena was beginning to wake up. "Good morning Ash." she said, not noticing how they were positioned.

"Good morning Serena." Ash replied, smiling. "Uh, Serena, would you mind sitting up so I can move my arm?"

"What do you….?" She started. Then, she realized how close they were. And his arm under her. "Oops, sorry."

She sat up, blushing. She soon came to the same conclusion that Ash had. She couldn't believe that it had happened. They _snuggled!_ She always wanted the chance to, but what was Ash thinking? He might not like the fact that they were so close. Meanwhile, Ash was off the bed, violently shaking his arm, trying to get rid of the numb feeling in his arm.

"Uh, sorry." Serena apologized to him.

Ash looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"For, uh, that. You know the …." She continued, nervous.

"Sleeping arrangement? I don't have a problem with it. It was comfortable enough." Ash said, trying to assure her that nothing was wrong. Serena, who was still blushing, turned the colour of a bright, red tomato. "Are you okay. You're not sick, right?" he put his hand to her forehead, causing the heat in her face to increase.

"N-n-n-o-o-o, I'm fine. I'll just go change." She said, trying to escape and let herself calm down. She quickly walked into the bathroom to change.

* * *

Ash then heard a knock from the door.

"Morning Ash, how'd you sleep last night?" Michael asked after Ash opened the door. He was fully dressed already.

"Not bad. Serena and I decided to share the bed, that way we would both be comfortable. She actually just got up." he answered.

"So, nothing happened?" Michael asked, mischievously.

Ash considered telling him about how they woke up, but didn't. He didn't like the tone of his voice. "Nope. We just fell asleep." he responded, still shaking his arm.

"What's with your arm?" he inquired.

"Oh, I , um, slept on it. It was numb when I woke up."

"You slept on it?" Michael asked, not believing his excuse.

"Yep. So, Shauna up yet?" Ash asked.

Michael shrugged. "I would think so, but, I haven't checked yet."

"Okay, how about you get Shauna ready to go while I get Serena. I want to get to Santalune City as soon as possible." Ash said, which Michael agreed to.

Ash then closed the door and made his way over to his backpack. He unpacked another set of clothing. He quickly changed and walked over to the bathroom door.

"Serena, are you still in there?" he asked her through the door.

"Yeah, I'm still here. I'm brushing my hair. I'll be right out!" she called back.

"Alright, just be quick."

* * *

Meanwhile, Michael was having a "fun" time. "You want me to do what?" he asked through the door to Shauna's room.

"I need you to help me find my bag! I can't find it!" she replied, "I won't have any clothing if I don't have it!"

"What are you wearing now?" Michael called back.

"I'm not wearing anything! I'm not putting on my dirty clothes from yesterday!"

"I can't come in there with you being naked!"

"Just don't look!"

Michael sighed. "Fine." He produced a black piece of fabric from a pocket and tied it around his eyes. He opened the door, slowly. He couldn't see out of the fabric, but he could use his Aura to do that.

"Take that off your eyes. You won't be able to see." Shauna told him.

"I don't need to use my eyes. I'll explain it later, but now, let's just get your bag. Plus, I thought you didn't want me to look."

It was extremely easy to find. The bag was under the bed. Shauna took the bag and rushed into her bathroom to put on some clothes. Michael removed the blindfold when she was done.

By the time she was done, Ash and Serena were done and waiting for them. They quickly left, leaving the keys to the rooms with the receptionist. They were almost out of the town when Michael pulled out his Pokegear.

"It looks like this will be a two day journey. That's of course implying that we don't run into anything that may delay us." he said, looking at a map.

"Oh, I didn't think we would be camping so soon. I left my sleeping bag at home." Serena told them.

"That's okay, we will cross that bridge when we get there. But, and I can't believe I forgot to ask, what starter did you choose?" Ash asked.

"I chose Fennekin!"

"What's a 'Fennekin'?" Ash asked.

In response, Serena released a small Pokémon. Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan it.

"Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees. It likes to snack on twigs."

"So, Michael, what did you choose as a starter?" Shauna asked, never seeing any of his Pokémon other than Dragonite.

Better than tell her, Michael decided to just show her. "Come on out Evui!" he said, throwing a Pokeball into the sky.

"Awww, how cute!" Shauna said. Evui, even though she just met the girl, was already starting to like her.

Ash then decided to check what type of Pokémon Evui was. "Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its trainer's arms as they walk together."

"So, I guess 'Evui' is a nickname?" Shauna asked.

"Kind of. I got her as an egg when I was very young. The reason I call her 'Evui' is because I couldn't say 'Eevee' when I was younger. Eventually, she started only responding to 'Evui', so everyone started saying it."

"Makes sense." Ash said.

"But, back on the topic of our walk through the forest, I think that we should have lunch in a few hours and then keep walking. As soon as the sun starts to set, we should set up camp and have dinner. Then, we should get up early tomorrow." Michael planned, "Right around here, we should stop again for lunch and we should be able to get to Santalune City right before nightfall. But once again, this is implying that we don't run it to any interruptions."

The group got through the day without interruptions. Ash remarked that it was incredible that this happened, but attributed it to the lack of Jessie, James, and Meowth. He then needed to explain whom they were. Serena was visibly horrified by some of the traps they used on Ash, but was more interested in the various girls he spent large amounts of time with. She would ask seemingly innocent questions, like 'So, what was she like?', which he usually answered in equally innocent answers, ranging from 'We really didn't get along well,' to 'We were great friends.'

* * *

They all decided to set up camp near a lake. After dinner, they decided to get to bed so they could get up early and get to the next city as fast as possible. Ash let Serena sleep with him inside his tent and Michael let Shauna use his tent and he would string up a hammock between two trees. Everyone, except Michael, quickly fell asleep. He found himself unable to. There was something out there, something _angry_. And something very scared. He decided to investigate; he needed the sleep.

He walked around the area, trying to find whatever it was that was out there. It took an hour, but he did find the source of the energy. And he immediately hated the scene.

"You useless Pokémon!" a trainer yelled at a small, round Green Pokémon. "I thought that when you evolved that you'd get better. But no! You're still just as terrible as before! Everyone else said to avoid Chespin, and you know what, they were right!" He then kicked the Pokémon.

"That's enough!" Michael yelled, scaring the shit out of the trainer. "How despicable are you? Attacking your own Pokémon?" He walked towards him.

"Can you mind your own business? I'll train _my_ Pokémon the way _I_ see fit!" he yelled at the very angry Aura User. He turned and returned his Pokémon.

"That isn't how you train Pokémon! That's abuse! You would be thrown in jail if an officer caught you." Michael exclaimed, feeling himself lose control.

"Are you going to turn me in? Because I wouldn't." The abuser turned around. He looked into Michael's eyes in an attempt to intimidate him. But, he was the one who was scared. His eyes had turned pitch black, and looking into them made him want to run.

"I never said I was going to turn you in." Michael said coldly before going into a sprint. A scream rang out, almost waking up the other three members of his group. When he was done, he fished out a steel device and attached it to his arm. He picked up the Pokeball containing his Pokémon. A short flash of orange and he placed it into a pouch with the rest of his own Pokeballs.

He walked away and found his way back to his hammock. He slept soundly through what was left of the night.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _I have to say that this is one of my favorite chapters so far._

Bleachedred shinigami pokemon - i was thinking if u could put some oras in this stroy similiar to swift4sweeper's mega evolution escapades

 _So that I could properly address this question, I just speed read the story. And, to be honest, I probably won't. Some events may be covered, but most of the ORAS event won't be because they just don't fit in with the events in the Kalos Region. But, I am considering writing a fic based off of ORAS, so maybe that will suffice._

 _But, that's all for now. Next week, more fluff! (Darn Spewpa)_


	10. What Was The Problem?

Just as Michael predicted, they arrived just before the sunset two days after they left. Deciding that it wouldn't be a good idea to try to challenge the Gym Leader at that time of night, they went ahead and decided to get something to eat and then go rent rooms at an inn for the night. They, however, came across a problem.

"You only have two rooms?" Ash asked.

" _Oui monsieur._ " the receptionist told the group of four teenagers. "Fortunately, their both king rooms."

"Okay, we'll take them. How much?" Shauna said.

"75 poken." Michael paid him the money. "Alright, here are the keys. Have a _bon_ night." he wished them.

"So, I'm going to guess that you two," Shauna said, pointing at Ash and Serena, "are going to share a room."

"Sure. We have been sharing since we met up, so why not." Ash said, which Serena agreed to.

"Okay, so I guess we are sleeping together?" Shauna said, too excitedly to not be noticed.

"I guess so." Michael stated, dread in his voice.

* * *

They then separated into their different sleeping groups. They all went to bed quickly and woke up fairly early. They were quickly up and ready and quickly made it to the gym. But…

"I'm sorry, the Gym Leader is out for the day." a man standing in front of the gym said. "She's currently out photographing the yearly mass evolution of wild Spewpa. She will be back tomorrow, but for now, the gym is closed."

"Awww. I was really hoping to get my first badge today." Ash said, dejected.

Serena put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Hey, at least you get another day to train before your battle."

"Yeah, your right! Alright, let's go train!" Ash exclaimed.

"While I would love to stay with you guys, I do have to get my starter." Shauna told them. "Plus, one of the first Showcases is coming up soon in Lagoon Town, so I am going to have to leave you guys."

"That's okay, we will probably meet up again later on. It's been nice to meet you Shauna. I wish you good luck in your Performance." Ash said.

"Me too." Serena added.

"Break a leg." Michael said.

"See you later. Especially you." Shauna said, the last part directed to Michael. She then pecked Michael on the cheek, turning him a bright red, before heading out of the city.

"So, are going training?" Serena asked.

"Yep. Let's go." Michael responded, trying to removed the colouration.

* * *

Ash and Michael trained for the next few hours. During this time, he noticed that his Dratini really disliked battling, so he had her stay with Serena and the two real started to bond. Ash decided that he would have to do something about that, but he wanted to stay focused on his training. They then decided to take a break to have lunch. Everyone had their Pokemon eating together. Everything was going well.

' _Which one of you stole my food!_ Fennekin yelled at the group of Pokemon near her.

' _Fennekin, no one took your food. Maybe you just ate it faster than you think you did.'_ Pikachu said, trying to calm down the raging fire type. This nearly earned him an Ember, if not Evui tied Fennekin up using her feelers.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Ash asked, seeing the chaotic scene.

' _Ash, Fennekin thinks we took her food!'_ Pikachu tried to explain.

Ash certainly didn't understand what exactly he said, but seeing Fennekin's empty food bowl told him all he needed.

"Fennekin, I don't think anyone stole your food." he told the fire type.

As if on cue, a Fletchling in a tree near the group's lunch spot started to laugh, dropping a piece of Pokemon food. Fennekin, seeing what looked like her food, launched an Ember at the flying type, which it easily dodged. It then went in and hit Fennekin with a Peck, tossing her. Froakie, deciding that an angry Fennekin was hazardous for all of their lives, threw some of his frubbles at the Pokemon. They hit it and stuck it down onto a rock.

"Nice throw Froakie!" Ash exclaimed. "Water Pulse!"

The Fletchling looked in terror when Froakie threw the ball of water at it. The attack freed it from the sticky fluff, but it soon fell to the ground. Ash then took out a Pokeball.

"Alright, Go Pokeball!"

Fletchling was hit by the sphere and was sucked into the ball by a red beam. It fell to the ground and started to shake. Once, twice, and sparkles erupted from the button, showing a successful capture.

"Alright! I caught a Fletchling!" Ash exclaimed, holding his capture up.

"And thus, the first of us has made a capture." Michael said.

Ash then let his capture out of it's ball.

' _Why did you have to be his first catch?'_ Fennekin asked, annoyed.

As if answering her question, Ash said, scanning his new Pokemon. "I caught him because he was really fast. I didn't see him take your food and neither did you. I can use a Pokemon like that for my gym battles."

' _Look, I'm sorry. There's been a food shortage in the area and I couldn't help myself.'_ Fletchling apologized.

Fennekin accepted the apology. Everyone, especially Froakie, was happy that the fire type didn't stay angry. He knew how temperamental she was. He once splashed her with a popped Bubble attack. She then Scratched him across the face.

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful. Fletchling found a comfortable place in Ash's new team. He was pretty fast and strong for being a wild Pokemon. This was what made Ash decide to use him during his gym battle.

When they were done training for the day, they went out for dinner. After that they decided to turn in for the night. They returned to the inn they got rooms at the night before and once again rented the rooms they had the night before. Michael went to sleep almost immediately, but Ash and Serena stayed up a bit later.

"So, you really don't know what you want to do?" Ash asked, laying next to Serena.

"No, I really didn't have the chance to think about what _I_ wanted to do. My mother is a famous Rhyhorn ridder, so she trained me to ride as well." she told him.

"Do you like Rhyhorn riding?" he continued.

"No, I never really liked it. I didn't like how every day I would have bruises from where I was thrown off of Rhyhorn." she admitted.

"Then why didn't you tell her?"

"She wouldn't understand. This is what she loves to do. She just doesn't get that I don't want to." Serena finished. She then turned over, effectively ending the discussion.

"Alright Serena, sweet dreams."

"Good night Ash."

* * *

They woke up pretty early in the morning and got ready to head to the gym. They passed by a Pokemon Centre when Ash remembered something he was supposed to do.

"Hold up. I nearly forgot to register myself for the league." he said.

"Oh that's right!" Michael realized.

It took only a moment for Ash to register himself. Michael however…...

"Um, Michael? Is this correct?" Nurse Joy asked.

Michael took a quick look at the information showing on the nurse's screen. "Yeah, that's right. What's the question?"

"You want to register for the league?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, here you two go." she handed them each a blue case. "This is your badge case. I wish you luck on your journey."

"What was that about?" Serena asked while exiting the Centre.

"Oh nothing, she was just unsure about something on my trainer file."

"What about it?" Ash asked.

"Where I was from." Michael answered.

"What about where you are from?" Serena asked.

"I'm from the Orre Region." he stated like it was nothing.

"Wasn't Orre obliterated during that war forty years ago?" Serena inquired.

"No, it was just heavily damaged. Just drop it. I really don't want to think of the wide expanses of nothing that is Orre." Michael said, tired of the questions. "Kalos is so much more beautiful."

They walked in silence as they made their way back to the gym, hopping that the Gym Leader was in. Luckily, she was and the gym had an 'open' sign illuminated. The gym was very similar to a photo gallery. But, they didn't see a Gym Leader anywhere. Only a pole in the center of the room.

"If you're looking for the Gym Leader," the man from the day before said, "just go down the pole."

They expressed their thanks and promptly slid down the pole, Serena first, Ash second, and Michael third. The newly revealed room was large. It had a solid, hardwood floor, but, extending out from what they speculated was the battlefield were white lines, somewhat resembling a spider web. And, standing in the center of the white lines, was a woman.

"I assume that you are the Gym Leader here." Ash stated.

She nodded. "That would be me. I'm Viola."

"Wait, aren't you Alexa's sister?" Ash asked, remembering the journalist he met just before his return to Kanto.

"Yeah, that's me." Viola said. "You wouldn't happen to be Ash Ketchum? Alexa told me that you would be arriving for a battle eventually. She said that you would be a challenge. I hope you live up to your reputation."

Ash chuckled. "Well, I don't want to let anyone down."

"Alright, hey Lilly!" Viola called out to a referee, "I have a challenger!"

The woman, now known as Lilly, walked over to the battlefield and showed Ash where to stand. "Okay challenger, in the Santalune City Gym, the battle will be a two-on-two battle where only the challenger is allowed to switch. Is this understood?" He nodded. "Alright, battle start!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _With this part, Ash has made the first, on screen capture of the group and the stage has been set for the Gym battle!_

 _I'm going to be honest, I can't draw. If I could, I would be drawing this series as a comic. So, I have a challenge for all of those out there who can draw: I would like to see who can create the best art work of Michael. To enter this contest, PM me or send me a review and when your done with your submission, send me a file or link if it is on another site. Now, I hear you asking (done ask me how, I'm afraid of her), What do I get out of this? Not only will you get a shout out in part 20, where I will revel the winner, I will also use it as the artwork for my profile, I will also use it as the cover for this fic! You also get a doughnut (Yes, that is how you actually spell it, Damn you DunkinDonut's for your inability to use spellcheck). Here is what he looks like; he on the thinner side of the spectrum, and average size length-wise. He is tanned, but not golden in colour and has emerald green eyes. He wears the default jacket from X and Y, just it is black in colour (he does not wear the game's black jacket), black cargo pants and black boots. He finishes his look with a black fedora that covers his hair, which is brown or dark orange and cut at a medium length (picture Calem's hair). He also has, as said in the part, aviator sunglasses. He also has a black backpack. I think I covered everything, so have fun!_

 _I kind-of feel a bit surprised that no one reviewed the last chapter. I think I said it before, but just in case, I'll say it again. Feel free to review! You see a problem, let me know! Not sure on what exactly happened, tell me! I'd be more than happy to explain. On a related note, I have a poll on my profile on the new Alola Starters. I would love to know your opinion on it. But, I'll be seeing you guy's next week!_


	11. Bug Badge Acquired!

"Come on out Surskit!" Viola called out, releasing the small blue Pokemon.

Serena pulled out her Pokedex and scanned the Gym Leader's Pokemon. "Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Surskit can walk on water as if it was skating. It attracts prey with a sweet aroma it produces." it said in a mechanical voice.

"A Surskit, eh. Alright, Fletchling, your up!" Ash called out, sending out his Flying type. "You may make the first move."

"Okay, Surskit, Sticky Web!" Surskit moved forward and launched a giant web at the bird.

"Dodge and go for Razor Wind!" Fletchling flew upward, the web narrowly missing. Fletchling's wings then turned white and he started to fling white energy at the Bug type.

"Quick, use Protect!" The energy deflected harmlessly off of the green shield. "Alright, now, use Signal Beam!"

"Use Razor Wind to counter Signal Beam and then use Steel Wing!" The beam of green energy was shredded by Fletchling and he then sped forward and hit the Bug Type with his wings. The bug type was thrown back, barely able to continue.

"Surskit, can you keep going?" The Gym Leader asked her Pokemon. It gave a weak nod. "Alright, Signal Beam again!"

"Fletchling, use Steel Wing, but spin while doing so!" Ash called out to his Pokemon. He, as directed, flew upward and dive bombed the bug type, splitting the Signal Beam. Surskit was thrown back again and showed swirls in it's eyes.

"Surskit is unable to battle. Round goes to the challenger, Ash." Lilly announced. "Gym Leader, please select your next Pokemon."

"You did well Surskit, take a nice rest." She said to her fallen Pokemon, returning it. "Alright Ash, your reputation is extremely accurate. Most trainers can't dodge Surskit's Sticky Web. But, you won't have such an easy time with Vivillon!" she told our hero as she sent out her next Pokemon. It was a smaller Butterfree-like Pokemon, Ash noted while he, and everyone else, pulled out his Pokedex.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. Vivillon are skillfully able to find a source of water. It has been said that you'll find a spring if you follow a Vivillon." it told him.

"Alright, take a break Fletchling, it's Pikachu's turn." he told the flying type, returning it to it's Pokeball. "Ready buddy?" he asked his partner, which nodded. "Alright, Quick Attack, let's go!" The Electric Type sped forward, hitting Vivillon in the abdomen.

"Don't let him get away! Use Solar Beam!" Vivillon quickly charged up the green beam of grass energy.

"We haven't tried to use this in a while, Pikachu use Volt Tackle to get close and protect yourself from the majority of Solar Beam. Then, focus all of the electricity into your tail and use Iron Tail!" He was quickly surrounded by electricity, diffusing much of the Solar Beam's power. He then ran forward and jumped into the air. Most off the electricity left Pikachu's body, collecting at his tail, now a chrome colour. He swiftly hit his opponent, knocking it into the ground. When the dust settled, Vivillon was knocked out.

"Vivillon is unable to battle. The win goes to the Challenger, Ash Ketchum." Lilly announced, finishing the battle.

"I can't say that I've ever seen someone do that before," Viola said, walking into the center of the Gym, "But, that was very impressive. You definitely have earned the Bug Badge." She placed the beetle-shaped pin in Ash's hand.

"Alright, I just won the Bug Badge!" Ash proclaimed, holding up the badge. Pikachu jumped up on his head and raised his hands in the air in victory.

"Is this a common thing you do?" Michael asked, remembering Ash's outburst after getting Froakie. He then turned to the Gym Leader. "Would you be able to have another battle today?"

"Sure, just give me an hour to heal my team up." She said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll be back then." Michael said. "So, you two want to get something to eat?"

* * *

They had all decided to visit a local bakery to get some pastries and other baked goods. Ash had chosen to pick up six eclairs, Serena decided upon a basket of macarons, and Michael, after answering several questions, got some butter-rum muffins. Everyone was visibly happy with their selections. Everyone enjoyed the shared lunch. They had just finished when Michael got up and stated that his battle was coming up soon. They packed up the leftovers and they made their way back to the Gym. As they slid down the pole, Viola was waiting for them.

"Welcome back. I assume you are ready for our battle?" She asked.

Michael smiled. "I'm always ready."

"Okay then, Lilly, we have another challenger today." Viola moved to her side of the battlefield while Michael moved over to where Ash stood earlier.

"Alright, since you were here earlier, do you want me to tell you the rules again or are you good?" Lilly asked.

"I'm fine."

"Alright then, you know who's coming out first!" Viola exclaimed, releasing her Surskit.

"Hitmonchan, you're up first!" Michael sent out the Fighting Type, which punched the air to show off his speed.

"Hmmm, I wonder what Pokemon that is." Serena raised her Pokedex.

"Hitmonchan, The Punching Pokemon. The spirit of a pro boxer has infused this Pokémon. It throws punches that are faster than a bullet train." it said.

"Okay Surskit, use Sticky Web to slow him down!" Surskit, similarly to how it began Ash's battle, through a large web at the Punching Pokemon.

"Used Bullet Punch to get out of the way. Then, transition into a Fire Punch!" Hitmonchan speed forward, the web missing him. His fists then started to burn, the chrome colour of Bullet Punch turning a bright red. He repeatedly slammed his hot fists into the Bug Type.

"Surskit, Used Signal Beam!" Viola called out, worried about the Pond Skater Pokemon. It tried to fire the beam, but it couldn't find the opportunity.

"That's enough Hitmonchan, step back." Michael told his Pokemon. He moved back, ceasing the onslaught.

"Surskit, can you continue?" Viola asked the Bug type that could barely stand. It nodded that it could. "Alright, try Signal Beam again!"

"Use Comet Punch, just one though." Michael instructed. Hitmonchan looked at his opponent with respect before moving forward and lightly hitting his opponent, knocking it out.

"Surskit is unable to battle. Round goes to the challenger, Michael." Lilly announced. "Gym Leader, please select your next Pokemon."

"Good job Surskit, you tried your best." Viola returned the Bug Type. "Michael, you are one of the strongest Pokemon Trainers I've battled. Let's go Vivillon!" She sent out her second Pokemon.

"Good work Hitmonchan, return." He smiled. "Let's go Quilladin!" He revealed a Pokeball and let out a green Pokemon Ash didn't remember seeing at the lab. He took out his Pokedex.

"Quilladin, the Spiny Armor Pokémon and the evolved form of Chespin. The hard shell covering Quilladin's body is so tough, a direct hit from a large truck wouldn't even dent it. Quilladin uses this shell to deflect foes' attacks and strikes back with its sharp quills."

"Use Rollout!" The new Pokemon curled up into a ball and speed forward, incredibly fast for it's species. He hit the Scale Pokemon, dealing a lot of damage.

"Vivillon, Sleep Powder before it gets away!" Vivillon flew forward, starting to sprinkle green dust over Quilladin.

"Curl up so that it won't take effect!" Quilladin curled up and most of the dust slid off his shell. "Now, use Vine Whip to propel yourself forward into a Tackle!" Two vines extended from his neck and hit the ground, pushing himself into Vivillon, knocking out the Pokemon.

"Vivillon is unable to battle. The win goes to the Challenger, Michael Natochenny." Lilly announced, finishing the battle.

"Michael, you certainly are a strong trainer, probably the strongest I've ever battled. Here is your badge." Viola placed the badge in Michael's hand.

"Thank you Viola," Michael shook her hand, "for a wonderful battle."

* * *

"When did you get Quilladin?" Ash asked while they left the Gym. "I don't remember you having one at the Lab."

"I found him the night we camped out." Michael said. Ash got a vibe from his Aura, which in itself is weird, that he wasn't telling the truth, but he dropped it. Maybe he got him from someone and they didn't want anyone else to know.

"So, where shall we go next?" Serena asked, looking at her Town Map.

"Well, the next Gym is in Cyllage City. But, we will stop in Lumiose City before we get there." Michael stated, looking at his Pokegear. "And there is also Camphrier Town between Lumiose and Cyllage. I say we stay the night, then we stock up for the journey to Lumiose and head out tomorrow. We should be able to get there in time for sunset. If you don't mind, we could stay for a day and see some of the sights."

Ash shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds fine."

"Alright, then we should get out and make our way to Camphrier. We should get there by nightfall or shortly after. We then stay for the night and go to Cyllage City, a two day journey." Michel finished. "Any objections?"

"I think it's fine," Serena said, "What about you, Ash?" He agreed.

"So, what should we do till we get dinner?" Michael asked, "It's only four. We have easily two to three hours."

Serena had a mischievous grin. "I know what we could do."

Ash knew the look. May and Dawn had the same look just before….."Don't say shopping, don't say shopping, don't say shopping….."

"Let's go shopping!"

"I do need to get a pair of sunglasses before I forget." Michael commented.

They spent the next two hours in various boutiques in the city. Serena had decided to buy a pair of red sunglasses (all the boutiques had just hats), Ash picked up a blue pair of similar glasses, and Michael purchased a pair of aviators. He put them on.

"Sunglasses at night? Really?" Ash asked, not believing that the unbelievably mature Michael would do something ripped directly out action movies.

"Yes really." He said, "So, dinner?"

Ash readily agreed to the offer and Serena stated that she would like to get something to eat as well. "I heard that there is a really good crepe restaurant near here." she suggested.

"Aren't crepes for breakfast?" Ash wondered aloud.

"Normally they are, but they can be filled all kinds of things." she answered.

"Sounds great!" Michael declared.

They had a wonderful diner. The crepes were fluffy and delicious. For dessert, they had mille-feuille. The small pastry was, like the thin pancakes the trio just ate, was delicious. Michael paid the bill for their meal. Ash asked if he could help pay, he had most of the food and felt it was his responsibility to pay his part. He was declined, Michael saying he had it covered.

* * *

The group then returned to the inn. Michael returned to his room and Ash and Serena did the same.

"You know, I wonder how Michael gets his money." Ash said to his companion.

She shrugged. "You traveled with Brock and Cilan, how did they get their money?"

"They were Gym Leaders. The regions pay their employees, even when they are out of their Gym."

"Maybe he is a Gym Leader." she suggested.

"No, he doesn't seem like one. Every Gym Leader has a feeling to them that says, 'I'm the Gym Leader'. Michael doesn't have that." Ash stated, "Plus, he registered for the Gym Challenge. I don't think Gym Leaders can."

"So, what do you think?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. I have this feeling that something isn't right with him. From his nearly limitless amount of money to the fact that he didn't have a Quilladin when we left Lumiose City, it all just doesn't add up."

"It's probably nothing. Maybe with the absence of Jessie, James, and Meowth you're just suspicious that nothing going to happen on a daily basis."

 _Author's Notes_

* * *

 _So, both Ash and Michael challenge the Santalune City Gym. How did I do with the battles? I wanted to give two different vibes from the battles. I wanted it to seem like Ash's battle was a challenge, but it wasn't extremely hard. Michael's, however, was supposed to make it feel like he easily defeated the Gym, like it was a game. Did I have you convinced of this?_

 _On a completely unrelated note, have any of you ever had butter-rum muffins? They are delicious and some of my favorite baked foods. But, I'll be seeing you next week!_


	12. Rhyhorn Racing

"Oh, Ash!" Serena called out, running forward to catch up to her crush. "Wait up!"

He turned around to look at her. "What's up? Anything wrong?" Nothing looked wrong, but he couldn't be too careful.

"I just forgot to return this to you." She handed him the blue handkerchief that he used to bandage her knee.

"I guess then I should hand this back as well." He pulled out a pink ribbon from his pocket and put it in her hand.

"You still have this?"

"You still had my handkerchief."

Then, there was a boom.

"What was that?" Michael asked, looking around. Nothing looked to be nearby.

"Maybe a tree fell." suggested Ash, before another boom was heard, followed by several more, all getting closer. Serena's eyes got comically large.

"OH NO! Get out of the road!" she yelled, moving towards the edge of the road.

"Why?!" Michael exclaimed, grabbing Ash and moving closer to Serena.

"Rhyhorn!"

"What about Rhy-!" Michael began before he heard the first roar. "Oh. I don't think this is good."

"Hurry!" Serena urged, pulling Ash up the side of the road with Michael directly behind. Michael was almost up when he slid back down the incline. He looked towards where the sound had come from and saw several Rhyhorn coming at him, increasing in speed. There also appeared to be people riding on top of them.

"Oh shit!" Michael cursed. He then touched the ground and a black dome surrounded him. The Rhyhorn moved through, obscuring their vision with dust. As the dust settled, Michael's dome was still there. It dissipated as he rose to his feet. "That was close."

"How did you do that?" Serena asked, amazed that he wasn't scratched by the group of racers.

"Are you familiar with Sinnoh Mythology?" Michael asked her.

"Uh, yeah. I took a course on it in high school. The Creation Trio, Lake Guardians, Arceus, I read up on all of them. Why?"

"Did they teach you anything about what Aura is?"

"Umm, I think so. Something about it was mentioned, but we skipped over the topic because we were running out of time that school year."

"Well, no one truly knows what Aura _is_ , but it comes from living creatures. I believe that it is like the life force of everything living. While everyone can somewhat sense using their Aura, hence that feeling you get when something doesn't feel right, some can use it to a higher extent than most people, granting them several abilities. I am one of those people. What I did is use some Aura to create a dome around me and I solidified it so the Rhyhorn would bounce right off. Ash can use Aura as well, but he isn't as trained as I am."

"Wow. How did you know that you were able to use Aura?" Serena inquired.

"Well, long story short, my family knows Professor Krane, the regional professor of the Orre Region. He was researching a specific, er," Michael paused to think about how to explain further, "'disorder' that had shown up when my father was a bit younger. The disorder caused afflicted to radiate a bad Aura and I walked in on an experiment and saw it." He decided it would be wise to leave out the year he spent tracking down every afflicted Pokemon and his role in the destruction of Cipher. That may cause some unwanted questions.

"But, back to the Rhyhorn, what were they doing?" Ash asked. "I thought I saw people riding them."

Serena nodded. "That looked like a Rhyhorn race. They're quite popular here."

"Your mother was famous for that, right?" Ash concluded.

Serena gave a slow, almost sad nod. "Yep, unfortunately for me."

Michael almost questioned further when they heard police sirens. An Officer Jenny pulled up to them on a motorcycle. "What do you think you all are doing?"

"Excuse me?" Ash asked, politely.

"You're not supposed to be here. You are standing in the middle of the Rhyhorn racing course."

"And how were we supposed to know about the course. I didn't see any sign saying there was a race course here." Michael asked. "This is the route from Santalune City to Lumiose. It seems a bit dangerous to have a Rhyhorn race here. Where did this race even begin?"

"Come, I'll show you." Jenny said, trying to get the young adults out of the area.

* * *

Half an hour later, and our heroes saw the starting line. A quick explanation later and Ash looked excited. "Would it be possible for me to try?"

"Well, there is a race tomorrow that anyone can take part in. You could give it a go." Jenny stated.

"Really? Great, I'm in!"

"Unless you already have one, you do need to pick out a Rhyhorn before you race, that way it has time to adjust to you."

She showed them down to the corral where several Rhyhorn were. She then had to leave, wishing Ash good luck. The attendant with them told Ash he could choose whichever Rhyhorn he wanted.

"Hmmm, which one should I choose?" he jumped the fence and started to move behind a Rhyhorn.

"Ash! Don't walk behind a Rhyhorn! You'll spook it and send it into a charge." Serena told him, moving around the front of the Rhyhorn. "It's better to move where it can see you. Like this." She moved slowly and Ash carefully studied the way she moved, trying to memorize it in case he ever needed to use a Rhyhorn in the future. "There, there. It's okay." She said soothingly to the Rock-Type. "See?" Ash stood, half stunned that she managed to befriend the Pokemon so easily. "Now, this one seems seems gentle and really smart." The Rhyhorn was visibly pleased by the praise it was getting from the girl.

"Alright, then I choose you!" Ash said to the Pokemon. "Nice to meet you Rhyhorn!" He then turned to Serena. "Serena, since you know so much about Rhyhorn Racing, would you mind teaching me a little bit about it? Just the basics like the rules and how to ride?"

"You mean me?"

"No," Michael said sarcastically, "he means the other Serena we know who's mother conveniently was a Rhyhorn Racer." He was shot two dirty looks, one from Ash and the other from Serena. "What?"

Ash turned back to Serena. "If you would, it would be awesome."

"Well, I guess so." She said, nervously scratching her cheek.

* * *

Ash, Serena, and Michael all changed into jumpsuits, Ash's being blue, Serena's pink, and Michael's was black. "Why are you wearing a jumpsuit?" Ash asked Michael, who had given no indication of wanting to race.

"It's a useful thing to learn." he replied. "Plus, couldn't let you have all the fun."

The two boys then watched as Serena showed them the proper way to mount a Rhyhorn. Ash launched himself off his the first time he tried. And the next few times. By the time he was on his mount, Michael was already riding his around the corral.

"Come on Ash, it's easy!" he said, slowly moving towards the boy on the ground.

"Well, if it's so easy, then why aren't you running around?" Ash taunted.

This must have set something off with Serena's Rhyhorn as it started to buck and it threw her off.

"Oww. That hurt." she stated. Then, several of the other Rhyhorn to crowd her. Then, she started to giggle. "Stop, that tickles!" When Ash got closer, he saw that the Rhyhorn were licking her.

"What's happening?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Rhyhorn seem to really like her." Michael stated, amused by the sight.

Eventually, Serena was able to get away and get Ash on his Rhyhorn. By the end of the day, Ash was being tossed around, but clinging on. "How am I doing?" he asked.

"Close your mouth! You'll bite your tongue!" Serena told him. She then got flashbacks to her mother, who had said the same thing to her when she was just starting to ride.

Ash then was able to get Rhyhorn to settle down. "Let's do that again tomorrow!" He told the Pokemon, "Your awesome Rhyhorn!" Michael congratulated him, but Serena held back and just smiled, proud of him.

* * *

Later that night, everyone was in a single room that the ranch owner let them borrow for the night, asleep. That was, everyone but Serena. She was in the kitchen.

' _What are we doing?'_ Fennekin wondered.

"Shh, we have to be quiet." She said, holding a finger to her lips. Fennekin mimicked the gesture. She finished sliding a tray into the oven. "I hope they turn out okay."

Ash participated in the race in the morning. Unfortunately, he didn't win. But, although he had a rough start, he got second place. Serena invited the group to meet her mother. And, even though Michael made several jokes towards Ash meeting the in-laws, which he didn't understand (though he did notice that Serena would get really red), they called her up.

"Hi Mom!" Serena greeted.

"How's your journey so far?" Grace asked.

"Well, You want to know who I found?" she asked before pushing Ash in front of her.

"Hello Mrs. Yvonne! It's Ash!" he said.

"It's nice to see you again Ash!"

"Hi Mrs Yvonne. I'm Michael!" said the third member of the group.

"Nice to meet you Michael. You boys better take care of my daughter!" Grace stated.

"You know what Serena did? She taught me how to ride a Rhyhorn!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash, did you really need to tell her that?" Serena asked.

"Well, it's the truth! I even got second place in my first race!"

"Good job! So, are you enjoying yourself Serena?"

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Serena answered.

"Well, I hope you keep having fun!"

The group had said goodbye to Grace and the Rhyhorn and were just about to head on when Serena presented Ash with a pouch.

"Here, I baked these for you because of how hard you worked!" she said.

"What are they?" he asked before opening it up. "Cookies!" He held one up. "They look awesome!" He ate one. "They taste great!"

"And, I made some for you too!" she handed a pouch to Michael.

"Thanks Serena! If Ash likes them, they're sure to be great!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _Because of a lack of Team Rocket (and it didn't really make sense to have Team Flare show up), I completely removed the Rhyhorn race disruption for flow._

 _Before I get to comments, I'd like to mention something that I forgot to in the last part. If you remember, the group eats a dessert called mille-feuille. If you watched the japanese version of the anime, you may find this sounds familiar. And, it is. A character's name was inspired by the dessert. Who wants to guess who?_

 _Now, on to comments!_

Toa Solaric - This is interesting chapter. I wonder when did Michael evolve Quilladin?

 _Okay, first, thanks for the comment. I'm not sure if this wasn't clear or what, but Michael didn't evolve Quilladin. In part 9, titled Snuggling, he gets it after it evolved. Did this help any? Would someone mind going back and rereading part 9 for my sanity and tell me if I should go back and make this more clear._

Toa Solaric - I forget to put this in my last review, maybe you can also have Ash's Pokemon and Serena's Pokemons to talk and interact with Michael's pokemon since we never seen them talking

 _Here's the thing, they do talk and interact. Evui (in part 10) wraps Serena's Fennekin up with her feelers. I just haven't gotten a chance to really show this yet. But don't worry, they will be shown talking soon._

Guest - seems like things just got more curious as ever but it seems like things just got spicyer as always and even sweeter and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud, remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude

 _I was hoping that it would get you thinking._

 _But anyways, I hope that you guy's have a great week and I'll see you next time! Oh, and if you live in the US, happy Fourth of July!_


	13. An Electric Liberation

"We're finally here!" Ash exclaimed upon stepping into Lumiose City again.

"I've heard that this is the center of the fashion world and by the way everyone is dressed, I couldn't be more sure that it is!" Serena said, equally as excited as Ash.

"So, what should we do first?" Michael asked.

"Why don't we split up? Then we could all see what we want to see!" Serena suggested.

"Sure, what could go wrong?" Ash asked.

"Well, now something is guaranteed to go wrong." Michael said.

"Why?"

"Because you said nothing could go wrong."

* * *

 _With Ash…._

Ash decided to head to Prism Tower. He wanted to see if it was fine after the Garchomp incident. The tower looked to be in great condition, the lights being powered and it looked like the tower was just cleaned, which gave it a brilliant shine. Business appeared to be all in order.

"Ahhh!" Two voices yelled, running out of the tower. Both of them were blonde and they looked to be related. The taller was a boy wearing a light blue jumpsuit with yellow stripes lining the edges. He was wearing a large backpack. The younger girl was wearing a brown shirt with a white skirt and brown shorts.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Ash asked them, stopping them as they ran past him.

"Clembot's malfunctioning!" the boy exclaimed.

"What's Clembot?" Ash asked.

"It's a robot I made. It was supposed to help me with my responsibilities as Gym Leader, but it kicked me out because I didn't have any badges." he explained.

"Can you do that?" Ash inquired, "Ask that challengers have badges before they challenge you?"

"I recommend that you have somewhere around four or five badges, but anyone can challenge me as long as I agree." he answered. "So, yes."

"So, why can't you get in?" Ash continued, "There must be some sort override so that you could deactivate Clembot."

"There is, but that's the problem. I tried the password that I used as the override, but it didn't work. It needs to be defeated in battle to have its password reset."

"Why don't any of your inventions work?" the girl asked rhetorically, "The worst part about Clembot is that he broke the trend and didn't blow up."

"I could help you." Ash said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I really didn't have any plans for the day. I just need to switch out my team. What type does your gym specialize in?"

"Electric types."

"Alright, this should be pretty easy." Ash stated. "Oh, and what are your names? I'm Ash."

"I'm Clemont and this is my younger sister Bonnie." Clemont introduced.

The girl, now know as Bonnie, held up a yellow pouch. "And this is Dedenne." A small Pokemon poked it's head out of the bag.

* * *

Ash quickly switch his team with Professor Oak. He kept Froakie, Fletchling and Pikachu and swapped out the rest of his Pokemon. He had Jolteon, Golett, Gabite, Gliscor, Torterra, and Ivysaur. Clemont walked him into the entrance of the gym.

"Welcome to the Lumiose City Gym," a mechanical voice said, "To challenge the Gym Leader, you must have a minimum of four badges. Do you have four badges?"

"Yes, I have four." Ash lied. He didn't like that he did so; his mother ground into him that lying was _bad_ , that you do not lie. But, given the circumstances, he could look past it.

"Welcome to the Lumiose Gym." Said Clembot, who stood in the middle of the Gym. "Are you prepared for battle?"

"Yes I am." Ash answered.

"Go, Heliolisk." The Gym Leader Robot said, releasing a yellow and black Pokemon. Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan it.

"Heliolisk, the Generator Pokemon and evolved form of Helioptile. Heliolisk produces enough electricity to power a large building and recharges by spreading its frills." It told him.

"Alright, let's go! Gliscor!" Ash released the Flying Scorpion Pokemon. "Fire Fang!"

Gliscor flew forward on an air current caused by the Gym's AC unit. He then swiftly dropped down, fangs on fire, and bite down on Heliolisk.

"Use Dragon Tail." Heliolisk's tail started to glow green and slammed into Gliscor, knocking it back, but not doing a lot of damage.

"Stone Edge!" Gliscor slammed into the ground, causing blue rocks to rise from the ground.

"Use Dragon Tail and then Surf."

"Surf?" Clemont said. "I didn't teach Heliolisk Surf!"

Heliolisk slammed its tail into an incoming rock, destroying it, before summoning a large wave of water.

"Use Giga Impact before Heliolisk finishes!" Gliscor started to be surrounded by purple energy as he flew forward. He collided with Heliolisk. It was thrown into the dirt, knocked out.

Clemont stood up. "Activate Security Password Override."

Clembot stopped, its eyes flashing blue. "Override accepted. Welcome back Gym Leader."

"It's good to be back. Shut down Clembot." Clembot drooped down.

"Good job Gliscor." Ash told his Pokemon. "Return."

"Wow. That. Was. Awesome!" Bonnie said running up to Ash.

Ash shrugged. "It really wasn't all that impressive."

"The way that Gliscor flew into Heliolisk was so cool!" Bonnie continued.

"Thank you Ash." Clemont said. "I don't think I could have done this on my own."

Ash smiled. "I'm glad that I could help."

"So, are you going to travel around Kalos?" Bonnie said as they walked out of the gym.

"Yep. I'm going to go around the Region and collect all of the badges."

"Hey Clemont, why don't we travel Ash?" the girl suggested.

"Bonnie…" Clemont began.

"You wanted to go on a journey before to strengthen yourself. Why not travel with Ash?" she insisted.

"You can't just say stuff like that." Clemont said.

"You guys can come with me if you wanted. I travel with two other people, but I don't think they would mind." Ash stated.

"Really? See Clemont, let's go!"

"I'll have to talk Dad into it, but as long as he is fine with us leaving, we'll go." Clemont conceded.

"Alright!" Bonnie squealed happily.

* * *

Ash and the blond duo split up, Ash heading to a Poke Center and the other two went to their father. Ash sat down with some lunch, deciding to eat while his Gliscor was healing. The doors to the Center suddenly opened and Michael walked in with Serena, holding her up. Ash shot up.

"Serena, are you okay?" he asked with worry.

She looked distant, her eyes having a slight gloss to them. "Pretty Pidgeys."

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"Well, I guess that it starts here…" Michael began.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _And the blond duo join the main cast, bringing us to five characters I have to juggle. Next chapter will explain what is wrong with Serena as well as state what Michael enjoys._

Guest - Are Bonnie and Clemont going to travel with them? And is Shuanna going to convince Michael that they belong together? Love the story so far btw!

 _As seen in this, Clemont and Bonnie will both be traveling with the gang. And Shauna will attempt to convince Michael._

Toa Solaric - Are they going to encounter the legendary Pokemon Hoopa in the story?

 _No, the group will not encounter Hoopa. I hated its movie and I have something set aside for it in the future._

robinmark2000 - Mille-Feuille, the blue haired girl that also likes Ash just like Serena. She also competes in the rookie and master-class to become Kalos queen.

 _Correct my good sir._ _Millefeui, or Miette in the english dub, was named after a pastry.  
_

 _See ya!_


	14. Beg

After splitting up with Ash and Serena, Michael wandered around the city until he found a cafe he liked. He ordered a quick meal before he continued around the city, aimlessly wandering around. Eventually, he found a video game store and he smiled. He walked in.

"Hello, anything I can help you with today?" the clerk asked him, washing the display case in front of him. The clerk was a younger man with a slight tub to him. He was wearing a shirt with a large red s emblazoned on the front.

"Anything you recommend?" Michael asked.

"I've been partial to the new Super Mystery Dungeon, so I'd recommend it."

"They made a new one? Cool." Michael stated. "How much would that be?"

"360 Poken, worth it in my opinion."

"That sounds reasonable." MIchael took the money out of his wallet while the clerk retrieved a copy of the game. He handed him the copy while he put the money in the cash register.

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"Nope, that should be all. Thank you." Michael shook the clerk's hand. He exited the shop and started to walk towards a Pokecenter ( _different one to the one Ash used_ ). He had pushed off calling his dad for too long and he knew that he would want to know how Kalos was.

* * *

"Natochenny resi-" Michael heard as his video call went through, The voice was of a small girl. "Michael! I was so worried that you would never call and you'd forget about me and-"

"Jovi, is Mom or Dad there?" he patently said as his sister rambled.

"Yeah, Mom's here. Dad got rumors of someone getting their hands on one of Cipher's machines. I'll go get her." Jovi's face disappeared from the monitor. A minute later his mother's face came into focus.

"Michael! How are are you doing? Is everything alright? Do you have enough money?" she asked him in rapid succession.

"I'm alright, everything's alright, and of course I have enough money."

"How's Kalos?"

"It's beautiful, like Agate Village everywhere. I even met a few new people here."

"Who did you meet?" she asked. Michael then recounted his meetings with Ash and Serena, making stops to mention Professor Sycamore and his assistants. And then his Pokegear rang.

"Hold on." he told his mom before answering. "Hello, you've reached Michael. How may I help you?"

" _Hi_ mon cherie." said a feminine voice.

"Hi Shauna. How are you?"

" _I'm okay. How are you?"_

"I'm fine. Why are you calling me?"

" _What, can't I call you when I want to talk to_ ma petit ami _?"_

"You know I can't understand you."

" _Of course I do."_

"How was the Showcase?"

" _They had to postpone it due to mold being found in one of the ventilation shafts. It's being cleaned right now."_

"That sucks."

" _Eh. It just gives me more time to prepare. Oh, my Pokemon's done. I'll talk to you later."_ he sighed as she hung up.

"So, who was that?" His mom asked.

"A girl I met."

"A girl?!" she raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. I see that. Not what I meant. Put the brow down." Suddenly, he felt something through his Aura. Someone's Aura was just dimmed and he knew who it belonged to. "I've got to go. I'll call you when I get the chance."

"Hold on, wha-" He ended the call before she finished and he ran out of the center, focusing on the Aura.

* * *

 _ **The following scene may upset some viewers. If you don't like torture scenes, please skip until the next note!**_

* * *

He tracked it to a dark alleyway. He passed by several shady characters, but he didn't worry about them. He saw worse. He stopped in front of a door.

"What's this?" he asked one of the punks, a man with a shaved head.

"It's a cheap hotel with several expensive _additions_ , if you get me." he replied. Michael stared daggers into the punk, but he turned away.

Michael walked in and continued, trying to find the Aura's owner before anything happened. Eventually, he found the right door. A muffled voice came from behind it. Michael tried the door. As expected, it was locked. So, not one for subtlety, he blew the door of of its hinges.

"Hey! I'm busy!" said a man.

"You'll get away from her if you know what's good for you." the man had his hands on an unconscious Serena. Her top was pulled up over her head.

"Why, what will you do, kid?" he started moving his hands down her body.

"If you don't get away, I make you." He moved his hand behind his back.

"Just you try kid. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to her. But, if you want to watch-" his hand brushed her skirt and Michael hand jerked in front of him, gun in hand. He fired and an arc of blood appeared behind the man. He fell over.

MIchael walked over to him and picked him up, slamming him into a wall. He dropped the gun and long claws extended from his hand. "Beg."

"Wh-what?" the man stuttered.

"I said beg. Beg for your life. Beg me to let you go."

"I'm not afraid of y-" MIchael's clawed hand jabbed into the man's leg, leaving large holes in his thigh.

"Beg." MIchael knew his eyes were pitch black. He knew he was losing control. He didn't care.

The man started to hyperventilate. "Please, stop. Don't do this."

Michael dropped him and bent down to collect his gun and the expelled casing, the claws dissolving. He then went over to Serena. He pulled down her shirt and he noticed that she was somewhat conscious. When he heard the man try to get up, Michael sent a sword through his chest, killing the man. Finally, his eyes went back to normal and he picked up Serena. She opened up her eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Pretty Pidgeys, pretty Pidgeys everywhere." she muttered.

"Let's go find Ash." He put one of her arms around his shoulder and he wrap one of his own around her waist. They walked out, Michael carefully avoiding blood on the floor.

* * *

 _ **If you don't like torture scenes, you may now start reading again.**_

* * *

"And that's what happened." Michael finished telling his story to Ash. He left out how he acted towards the man, instead saying that he used a staff and knocked him out.

Ash was visibly angry. His Aura radiated hatred towards the man. "Where is he now?"

"He is having fun with the police."

"I'm going down there." Ash started to get up.

"No. They have it under control." Michael said calmly. "You don't have to worry. I'm sure that the officers have already done what needs to be done." Ash didn't calm down. "We should just worry about Serena getting better."

Ash sighed. "Okay, what do we do?"

"Well, her Aura has been steadily getting better, so I'd say all she needs is just a little rest."

"Then I'll go get her tucked in." Ash picked Serena up bridal style and headed out to a hotel.

"You still need me to pay!" Michael called, rushing to meet his friend. He passed by a television with the news on. They were playing a story about a man that was gorily murdered.

"Poor guy." Michael said monotone, before rushing over to Ash.

 _Author's Notes_

 _I am so sorry that this took so long to put out. You know life, it sometimes just gets in the way. But hopefully you guys liked this._

Annabella Lucy Nox - Are the heroes going to encounter Volcanion and Magearna?

 _Yep, unless that movie was terrible._

Jacky - I wonder if you plan having Miette show up and if so how much of an impact she would make on Serena in pushing her closer to Ash.

 _I definitively will be having Miette show up. And her impact, well you'll just have to wait for that._

Toa Solaric - I am happy that the siblings joining them since it won't be the same without them. I am confused about what happened to Serena and wait to find out what happened to her.

I hope you aren't doing the Diancie movie which is kind of boring in my opinion

 _Well, I hope that this cleared up what happened to Serena. And, even though you may not like it, I will be doing an adaptation of the Diancie movie. I just hope that I can make it so that you like it._

Pizzalover - I like the dynamics of your story, but I also feel that these battles were rushed. While Ash and Michael are super competent trainers, the Gym Leaders of each region are meant to be a challenge to prove that trainers truly have what it takes. In this case, sometimes Gym Leaders even choose easier or harder Pokémon depending on their challengers, although this Sint apparent in the games.

Other than this, awesome job! #Pizza

 _Thank you for the input. I'm kind of spoiling a small detail, but, eh whatever. There are levels of gym challenge depending on what rank trainer you are. Viola was a new Gym Leader, so she simply forgot to ask what their classes were. Hopefully Grant's battles will be better._

Pizzalover - I really am enjoying this story, but I am a bit doubtful of Clemont and Bonnie joining in. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Clemont and Bonnie. The only concern I have is that a) five people might be a bit too big (there's already four in the anime, and that's the max capacity as compared to other regions of Ash's adventures) and b) I feel like there should be more of a situation than watching Ash battle to convince Clemont and Bonnie to travel in Ash, since they just met and know nothing about him, while in the Anime through actually battling Ash and the Garchomp incident, Clemont gets to learn a lot about Ash's personality.

Still, super awesome and excited for another chapter. One question though - are you planning on having Ash posses Mega Evolution, or just the special Ash-Greninja, or both? Personally, I would not recommend both, as the Ash-Greninja form was designed partly so that Ash would have a way to go up against Mega Evolved Pokémon, and for the anime NOT to give him a Key Stone and everything.

Just a heads up! I give this story a thumbs up! #Pizza

 _I wanted to address this review separately. Let's start with the easy bit. Ash will gain the ability to use Mega Evolution and the Ash-Greninja form. But, he will gain the use of Mega Evolution long after he gains Ash-Greninja. I have plans on how to give him a Keystone and Megastones, but he won't really use them, so he won't be too over powered. Well, Ash-Greninja maybe a little OP as it is._

 _Second, Bonnie and Clemont. I've thought and thought and I have come to one conclusion. You are completely right. I simply cannot dialogue and have adequate character development with five characters. So, unfortunately, the blonde duo will not be journeying with Ash. Instead, I'm going to use an OC I have that has a better reason to journey with the group. I would only have the main three, but there is a big plot point that needs an unevolved Chespin, and I can't give it to any of the main three. I really hope that I don't upset anyone with this desition._

 _But, I be seeing you guys next week(hopefully). See ya!_


	15. Pancakes

Serena slowly opened her eyes, the little bit of sunlight coming in through a pair of curtains blinding her. She didn't remember where she was, prompting a, "Where am I?" Unfortunately, there was no one to answer her question. Looking to her side, she saw Ash asleep, his head resting next to her. Michael had his feet on a table in the room, his hat pulled over his face.

She tried to sit up, but found that she couldn't. Her muscles were not listening in her. So, she looked up at the ceiling. She tried to remember why she was there, but there was a gap in her memory. She couldn't remember anything that happened for the last few hours. She tried to get up again, softly grunting when she failed.

"Morning." she heard Michael mumble, still drowsy from sleeping.

"Morning. Where are we?" she asked.

He sat up, removing his hat and putting it on the table. "A hotel room in Lumiose City." He walked over to her bed, sitting at the foot of it. "Can you tell me what you remember last?"

Serena tried hard to remember. "Umm, I remember walking into the city with you and Ash. We split up to see each of the sights we wanted to see."

Michael nodded. "Good. What happened next?"

"I… " she strained, "went to the shopping district to go to the boutiques."

"Can you remember anything else?"

"I bumped into a man. I then walked into a boutique and… " she searched her memory for what happened next. ' _Come on Serena!'_ she thought to herself, ' _Remember what happened next!'_

"Do you remember what happened next?"

"No, I don't." She stated, downcast.

"That's okay." Michael held her hand, not in the 'Boyfriend-Girlfriend' way, but in a 'I'm-here-for-you' way. "Yesterday was an exciting day. I didn't expect you to."

"Michael,"

"Yes Serena?"

"Why can't I move?" She tried again, only managing to raise herself up a few inches.

"Not important right now." Michael smiled, "Let's Ash up."

He moved around the bed, going to Ash's side. "Ash, time to get up." He didn't move.

"Ash," she whispered. His head rocketed up.

"You're awake?" he asked. She nodded her head and he hugged her tightly. "I was so worried about you!"

"Worried? About me?" she asked, flushed.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he hugged her even tighter as her heart started to flutter.

"Come on now you two _Àiqíng niǎo_." Michael said opening the curtains. "Time to get up."

"What did that mean?" Ash asked.

"Nothing important. So, Serena, do you think you can get up now?"

She tried again, this time sitting up. "Yep." She reached around and pulled the blanket off of her. She was surprised when she saw she was in her pajamas.

"Before you ask, I got you into your pajamas." Michael said, answering her question before she voiced it.

She moved her legs to the floor and started to get up. She tried several times to stand up, each time failing. She was about to give up when Ash held out his hand. She hesitantly held onto it as he lifted her up. She took a small step towards him and stumbled. He caught her and held her up as she got her balance back. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she was walking around again.

"So, what next?" Serena asked. "Are we going to start towards Camphrier Town?"

Michael shrugged. "If you want."

"Alright then, let's get going." she said, picking up her clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

"I'll go get breakfast for the three of us." Michael said, "Anything you want?"

"Honestly, pancakes. Lots of pancakes." Ash stated.

"Then pancakes it is." Michael closed the door and Serena poked her head out.

"What was that?"

"Michael's going to go get breakfast."

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute." Serena's head went back behind the door and Ash highly doubted that it would be a minute. It took forever for Misty, May, and Dawn to get ready. Heck, even Iris took long than him and Cilan to get ready.

* * *

As he had suspected, it took Serena just over half an hour to finally finish, stepping out right before Michael came in with a large styrofoam box. In it was three huge stacks of pancakes and a small bottle of syrup. Ash immediately pulled plates out of his backpack and moved a stack onto one.

"I may have ordered too many." He said sheepishly, picking up the syrup. It flashed black for a moment and then he poured it onto Ash's pancakes, flowing out like water.

"Huh, I guess the syrup is really watery." Serena said, moving only half a stack onto her plate.

"Nope, it's just warmed." he stated, pouring some onto her plate.

She cut a bite off of her top pancake and put it in her mouth. "It is! How did you do that?"

Michael moved the last tower of pancakes onto his plate and poured syrup on top. "All heat is is molecular motion. Move the atoms enough and you get hot syrup." He cut straight through the stack, picking up a few pieces and putting them in his mouth.

"Atoms?" Ash asked, halfway through his pancakes.

"What do you mean 'atoms?'" Michael asked before a lightbulb went off in his head. "That's right, you started your journey at ten. You never took a chemistry class."

"Nope, but I know that chemistry is when you mix chemicals together to get new chemicals." he stated.

"There's a bit more than just that to chemistry. I'll show you later." Michael promised.

"I'll hold you to that." Ash said.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _Hi! I realize this part was a lot shorter than most, but I couldn't figure out how to logically continue. So, Michael is fairly knowledgeable when it comes to science and this is because of Prof. Krane. And as for warming the syrup, he used his Aura and moved the atoms in the syrup around. And "Àiqíng niǎo" means "love birds" in chinese. (Thank Arceus for Google Translate)_

Pizzalover - Cool job with the new chapter! I really appreciate that you took time to consider my questions, and I totally agree with your decisions, as it will best serve the plot in my opinion.

There's not much I want to ask, but I do want to say this: I really love this FanFiction story more than many others, mostly since I'm a big fan of anything to do with X and Y, but mainly I just am in love with the amazing plot and characters you have going on! It's a whole new take on the anime characters, but my favorite character is Michael. Michael is just so mysterious yet kind, and you've just set up the mystery of his back story so well. I can't wait to learn more about Michael and exactly who he is with his unique powers!

Well... There is one thing I do want to ask. Sorry! Here it is: How major will Team Flare be to this story? You don't have to reveal much detail if you want to keep it a secret until later, but I am curious as if they'll be a major influence to the characters, plus are you going to do something with Xerneas/Yveltal like in the games, or Zygarde in the anime?

Again, so sorry I had to make you read through all of that, if you've even gotten to this point! Love your story, keep up the great work! ;) #Pizza

 _I'm glad that you liked my answers. As for Team Flare, they will play a bigger role in the story beginning, but they will really show up in the later parts. As for Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde, spoilers. (If you get that reference, you have good taste in TV shows)_

Guest - it looks odd yet very impressive chapter dude and as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you, amourshipper and proud, remember that dude and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude.

 _What's so odd? Michael's behavior or…_

 _Well, incase you haven't seen it yet, the first half of Ash's and Alain's battle was just aired in Japan. I won't spoil anything, but it was awesome! Be sure to check it out!_


	16. Note Resolved

_Hi guys! So, I have been MIA for the past month or so. I'm not dead. I just moved into a new apartment and my computer was packed away. Actually, it still is. I'm at a friend's house typing this up. So, I will put up a new part as soon as I get it unpacked. Thank's Pizzalover for asking about me!_

 _Now, for a slight rant. For those who haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. But, Ash kinda screws up. But my rant isn't over that (please do something smart anime creators). To anyone who has seen the Sun and Moon anime trailer, you will understand. If you haven't, please go watch that and then read this. Last warning. Alright, here goes._

 _What are they thinking? Ash looks so dumb in the trailer. Everyone else looks like anime characters except him! He looks like cartoon network took over and asked the creators of Steven Universe or something to redesign Ash, but keep everyone else the same! And he's "going to school?" He's traveled six regions, helped defeat five evil groups, and has encountered every legendary and mythical Pokémon, what else is there to learn? Not to mention that it doesn't look like Serena will be traveling with him! I came back to the anime because of Serena! I thought that they learned their lesson from Black and White on what not to do! But apparently, that's to much to ask for! Just, *exhale*. But, rant over, next part out ASAP, so, have a wonder full day and see you guys later!_


	17. Rescue!

The group quickly cleaned up their dishes. Serena took the dishes into the bathroom to clean them. Michael offered to do them, but she said she was fine with it. Seeing an opportunity to talk alone, Michael pulled Ash aside.

"Don't tell her what happened." he said plainly.

"But, shouldn't she know what happened to her. With that man?" Ash asked. He knew he wouldn't forget him. If even caught a glimpse of him, he would…

"No, sometimes ignorance is bliss. She shouldn't have to remember what happened."

Ash thought for a moment. It did make sense that she would be better off without the knowledge scaring her for life. He shifted his attention to the leftover pancakes. "What do we do with them?"

Michael simply smiled before digging in his bag. He pulled out a cube. It had the same colour scheme as a Pokeball.

"What's that going to do?" Ash asked as Michael pointed the device at the stack of breakfast food and a green box was projected from the front of it. He moved the box so that the pancakes were in the green box. A red light shot out and hit the box, sucking it and the pancakes into the cube. "Woah! That's awesome!"

"Storage cube. Uses the same technology as a Pokeball to shrink down and store items." Michael explained. "I helped Professor Krane invent them."

"That's so cool! Science is awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"You see, if everyone else had that opinion, there would be so many more scientists out there."

Serena came walking out of the bathroom carrying the three plates and their silverware. She handed them over to Ash. "Where did the leftovers go?" She asked.

Michael held up the cube. "Storage cube. Pokeballs for non-living objects."

"Oh, cool!"

* * *

The rest of the morning went on without any thing of note. Ash changed clothes and Michael finished putting away the rest of their belongings. They handed back the key and passed by Professor Sycamore's Lab.

"Hey," Serena started, "before we leave, I'd like to thank the Professor for Fennekin."

"Sure, and it looks like they fixed it up while we've been away." Michael remarked, looking at the patched hole in the wall.

As they opened the door, Sofie ran into the lobby, only to stop short and look disappointed. "Oh, I thought you guys were the professor." She said dejectedly.

"Why, where's the professor?" Ash asked. "I thought he would be here working on his research."

"Well, he went out yesterday to go pick up something and he has come back." She replied, "And I'm worried that maybe something happened to him. With Team Flare's 'experiment,' they could have taken him!"

"Can I see something of his?" Michael asked.

"Uh, yeah." Sofie ran into the back of the building.

"Why did you want something of his?" Serena asked.

"His Aura should have left a trace on it. I just need a bit of it to track him."

Sofie came running back, holding a lab coat. "He left it here when he when out." She handed it to Michael. His eyes and the coat flashed black. He handed it back.

"Come on, follow me."

* * *

Our group of heroes took a winding trip around the city before ending up outside an abandoned factory. The walls were crumbling and several holes could be seen, revealing the steel girders that made up the building's skeleton. They doubled back and hid in a bush.

"So, what's the plan?" Serena asked.

"Go in, rescue the professor and knock out the bad guys." Ash said, confident in his plan.

Michael, however, shook his head. "Bad idea. We have no idea what they have in there. We need to do some reconnaissance to make a legitimate plan."

"Okay, who do we send?" Ash asked.

"I could go." Serena stated.

"Uh, how about I go." Ash said, a bit too quickly.

"No, I can do it, can't be that be that hard." Serena stated.

"Yeah, we know you could do it, but we'd rather you didn't." Ash said quietly.

"I'll be right back." Serena snuck away from the group, leaving the two boys in the bush.

"Ten minutes," Michael said, "ten minutes and if she's not back by then, we go in."

"What would be the plan?" Ash asked.

"I create a distraction and you free the professor and Serena if they have her."

* * *

Serena snuck around the back of the building, creeping slowly. She soon reached a large crack in the wall and tiptoed inside. The building was just as destroyed as the outside as the inside. Papers covered the floor. Desks were flipped and thrown. Bare bulb lights shone dimly, giving the building a creepy mood. She navigated from room to room, trying to find the professor. Eventually, she found a room with a man tied to a chair. She instantly knew this was Sycamore.

"Professor." she whispered.

He looked up, revealing that he had been gagged. "Mrmph!" he tried to say loudly.

"Shh, I get you out." Serena reached out and untied the gag.

"Look out!" he said as soon as he could speak. Serena whipped around to see two people, both dressed in red suits. They leaped on her, tieing her down.

* * *

"Nine minutes." Michael said, looking at his watch. Ash was trying not to worry, but she was almost out of time. "Nine minutes thirty seconds." Michael looked up. "Ten minutes. Time for plan B."

"Alright." Ash said, "are you sure you won't need any help?"

"No, I'll be fine. But here, take this." Michael handed Ash a knife. "To cut their restraints."

Ash nodded as he started to walk down the path Serena took. Michael took a different path, getting closer to the main entrance. They nodded to each other and Ash continued down. He came to the same hole Serena went in and followed her path through the building. He occasionally heard noises from outside, but continued, having faith in Michael's abilities.

He soon came to the room where Serena and the Professor were being kept. He crept closer, making sure he wasn't going to be snuck up on. He made his way over to the girl first and started to tap on her shoulder. She jolted up and looked at him. He cut away at the rope she was tied up with. When he got down she jumped on him and squeezed him. He pulled off the gag they had put on her.

"You okay?" He asked. She just looked at him, as he stared into her blue eyes. They almost looked like they were shining.

"I don't mean to interrupt your moment," Sycamore said, causing the two to jump away from each other, blushing, "But could you please untie me? I can't feel my arms."

Ash quickly got to work cutting him free. "There. All free."

"Where's Michael?" Serena asked.

"Distracting them." Ash answered, grabbing a Pokeball. "Let's go help him out."

They ran through the building, following the sounds of fighting. When they finally got outside, they saw Michael finish tying up the second of two Team Flare grunts. "Oh, you're done? I was just finishing up my conversation with these two. Good talk guys, good talk."

"So, what do we do with these two?" Ash asked.

"I'll call Officer Jenny and she'll come pick them up." Sycamore said, pulling a phone out of his pocket.

"So, that was fun." Michael said sarcastically.

Ash looked up at the sky. "What time is it?"

Michael pulled out his Pokegear. "About one-thirty."

Ash smiled. "So we definitely can keep going today." He turned to Professor Sycamore. "Professor, would you mind if we left? We can stay if you need us to, but…"

"Oh no, you can go. I'll wait for the officer. Thanks for rescuing me." He thanked, releasing them from watching the criminals.

"Oh, and before I forget, "Serena started, "Thank you for sending me Fennekin _and Ash_ " She thought the last part. But, he read her face and saw what she was thinking.

"Your welcome Serena." He said.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _And now I'm back to Champions! And a day early too! Although it is a bit late. Eh still technically a day early. So, Professor Sycamore is kidnaped! Oh no! And it's up to the only capable people in the Pokemon world to find him! All jokes aside, I had a lot of fun writing this part, mostly because I got to introduce the most plot convenient object in this fic, the Convenient Utilitarian Box-E or the Storage Cube! (I couldn't think of anything the -E could stand for) Michael keeps most of his belongings in these cubes. We just haven't seen one yet because he keeps his essentials on hand. This is mostly because, while not stated in this part, the cubes have a bad habit of short-circuiting and locking the object inside._

Pizzalover - Nice story! I love how you tied in Brock, since he understands Ash so much and is a pretty interesting chacater from a supporting stand point. As for the kiss, most likely the reason for not showing the kissing scene is because that the Pokémon series is a kids TV show, so a little peck on the cheek might have been fine, but a full-on kiss could have been a bit too much. Another reason could also be that the writers wanted to troll the audience, which they have done in the past.

#Pizza

 _I'm glad that you like the fact that I used Brock. I had a couple of people I wanted to use, but Brock just felt right. As for the kiss, I can kind of see what you mean. Trolls the Anime Creators are.  
_

Ricky Martin - Good Plot! 3

 _Thanks!_

 _Well, that is all that I can think of for now. I will be seeing you guys later!_


	18. To Catch a Pokemon Poacher!

"The hard part isn't creating the object, it's keeping it." Michael explained, waving an Aura banana in front of Ash. The group decided to stop for lunch and, while Serena was working on their food, Ash asked Michael to teach him how to create objects with his Aura. "The first thing you need to do is manifest your Aura."

Ash held up his hands and started to focus. Quickly, he had a ball of teal energy in his hands. "Okay, what next?"

"Next, think about the shape you want to create. Let's start with a cube. Imagine the cube; not just what it is, but what it looks like. Think about its shape, its size, everything."

Ash re-focused on the aura sphere and started to think. Eventually, he had a cube floating in his hands. He felt a little drained from the exercise. "And then?"

"This is the hard part. You need to put a little Aura into the object."

"Uh, how do I do that?"

Michael stopped for a moment, thinking on how to explain. "Just, think about it flowing to the cube."

Ash sat there for a few minutes, trying to transfer his Aura. "Ugh," he said, letting his arms fall, the object dissipating. "I can't do it. I just feel so tired."

"Eh, I'm not the best teacher either. And you'll feel fine in a few minutes. Your Aura just needs to recharge a bit."

Serena walked over, holding two bowls. "And eating will get your strength up too!"

Ash smiled at her. "Thanks Serena, you're the best!"

She blushed a little before handing Michael his bowl and going to get her own soup. She sat down next to them, watching their Pokemon play. Well, Ash's Pokemon, Serena's Fennekin, and Michael's Evui. The rest of his Pokemon were training on the other side of them.

' _Tag! You're it!'_ Evui giggled, touching Fennekin's tail. She started to run after Ash's Jolteon, but was soon left in the dust. She changed direction, instead going for an unsuspecting Froakie. He sharply turned, jumped over Fennekin's head and jumped up a tree.

' _Come back down here!'_ Fennekin yelled at the water type.

' _I don't think so dear.'_ he stated, causing Fennekin to blush slightly. In retaliation, she fired an Ember at him, which he easily dodged. ' _You're going to have to try harder if you want to hit me.'_

Fennekin was about to fire another Ember when Ivysaur walked up to her. ' _Let's not burn everything down Fennekin.'_

Her expression shifted and tapped Ivysaur on the head. ' _Okay, tag!'_ she started to run as he sighed and started towards the rest of the Pokemon.

They all heard a loud noise break the relative peacefulness. A blue-grey jeep came screeching out of nowhere, driving straight through the area. An Officer Jenny drove right behind him, shouting for him to stop. "What was that?" Michael asked.

"No idea. Let's go check it out." Ash said, starting to return his Pokemon. They quickly packed up and started to run down the path the jeep made. They continued down the path until they came across a cage.

"What's that?" Serena asked, opening up the trap. Michael and Ash looked in with her as she removed a grey shape from the back of the cage. The boys took their Pokedexes out of their pockets and scanned the creature.

"Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokemon. When under attack from bird Pokemon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact."

The Pokemon, now known as Scatterbug, started to look up at the group of humans. It tensed up, afraid of them.

"It's okay," Serena said soothingly, seeing how tense it had become, "We're not going to hurt you." She started to rub its head. It started to make a noise similar to purring.

"Do you think it fell of the jeep?" Ash asked.

"I think it did." Michael answered, looking at his Pokegear's map. "There looks to be a Pokecenter near here. We should head over there to have Scatterbug checked out." Ash nodded and the three of them quickly made it over to the Center.

* * *

"Nurse Joy, we found this Scatterbug in a cage on the road. Could you check it out to make sure it's okay?" Serena asked, handing over the bug type.

She called over her Blissey and she walked away with it. "So, you found Scatterbug in a cage?"

"Yeah. We think it fell off a jeep that we were following." Michael answered.

"Let me guess, the jeep was blue-grey." Joy said. Our heroes nodded yes. "Sounds like you happened across…"

"Found you!" Michael's hand shot out, catching a whip that was heading for Serena's arm. He gave it a sharp tug and the owner of the whip slid over to his feet. It was the Officer Jenny from the chase. "Hey, you're under arrest!"

"For what?" Michael asked, annoyed with the police force.

"For being accomplices to the Pokemon Poacher Douglass!"

"And you came to this how?" Michael continued.

"Well, after a cage fell off Douglass's jeep, I set a trap for him. I knew that he would want to come back for the lost Scatterbug. Then you three showed up… "

"And you think that accomplices to a poacher would take their prize to a Pokecenter?" Michael stated. "Instead of, you know, going to take it to Douglass?"

"Well, when you say it like that…" The officer started to realize her mistake. "Um, sorry."

"It's fine." Ash said before Michael said anything more. "So, who is this Douglass guy?"

"He's a Pokemon poacher. He captures Scatterbug and Spewpa, their evolved form, and sells them once they evolve into Vivillon."

"He sounds awful!" Serena exclaimed, happy that they found the Scatterbug.

"You know, we could help you catch him." Ash offered.

"No no, that's fine. I'm sure that we will be able to catch him."

"With our help, it could take even less time." Ash continued.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt." Officer Jenny conceded.

"Okay, where do we begin?" Serena asked.

"We need to find a way to lure him out. Like with a trap." Jenny reasoned.

"But a trap needs bait." Michael stated. "And the three of us don't have any Pokemon small enough to pose as a Scatterbug."

"And that's the part I'm not happy about." Jenny began, "What I think we will have to do is use the Scatterbug that you rescued as bait."

As she said that, Blissey came walking out, holding the Bug type. It jumped on the table, obviously happy to be back with the three. It started to run around in circles.

"It's pretty energetic." Serena stated, watching it circle.

"I think it might be close to... " Jenny started as the Pokemon started to glow a bright blue light. It's shape started to change, forming a more stout and round shape. The light dimmed until it wasn't there. It still looked like a Scatterbug, but it looked like it was wearing a white cloak with different colored shapes stuck to it. "Evolving."

Ash took out his Pokedex to scan the newly evolved Pokemon. "Spewpa, the Scatterdust Pokemon and evolved form of Scatterbug. It lives hidden within thicket shadows. When predators attack, it quickly bristles the fur covering its body in an effort to threaten them."

Spewpa looked at itself for a moment and then launched itself up at Serena. It landed on her head and began to snuggle into her hair. Serena carefully pulled the Bug type out of her hair. "Spewpa, we would like to help Officer Jenny arrest the man who captured you." Spewpa looked like it was happy with the statement. "But to do so, we need you help us." It looked up at her with curiosity. "We need you to go back in the cage." It shook its head. It did not want to go back into that cage. "I know you don't like it, we don't like it either. But, we don't have another choice. We need you if we are going to catch him."

Spewpa looked up at her. Spewpa looked almost ashamed that didn't want to help the girl at first. It harded its gaze and nodded, confirming that it would help. "Great! Now we have to set the trap."

* * *

The group sat quietly in the bushes, waiting for the poacher to reclaim his prize. They waited for an hour before he showed up. He whispered something to the cage and threw it back into the jeep. He drove off in a hurry, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

"Okay Fletchling," Ash said, releasing the flying type, "We need you to follow a jeep and lead us to it." The flying type nodded and took to the skies.

The group was lead to an old run down building, similar to the one where they rescued Professor Sycamore. "Okay, now we just sneak in." Officer Jenny said.

Ash took the lead, creeping close to the wall. Suddenly, he heard the voices of his friends, all being hoisted into the air. A slow clapping started. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A burly man and a large Pokemon next to him appeared from the building. "It looks like we got ourselves a couple of heroes, doesn't it Diggersby?"

"So you're Douglass." Ash stated.

"Can whoever has their hand on my ass please let it go?" Officer Jenny commanded.

"I was just making sure I don't cut through anyone!" Michael replied as a black sword cut through the net, dropping the people inside it.

"Well, it looks like this just got a whole lot more interesting." Douglass said. "Mud Shot Diggersby!" The rabbit Pokemon raised its ears as mud was thrown from them.

"Quilladin, use Pin Missile to hit them back!" Michael released his Kalos starter. It started to shoot green projectiles from its back, hitting each glob of mud and sending it back to its sender. "Now use Vine Whip!" Green vines extended from the Grass type's back and hit the Pokemon in the face.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu charged in, letting loose a powerful stream of electricity, knocking out the Diggersby.

Douglass muttered something under his breath, returned his fallen Pokemon and grabbed another Pokeball. "Let 'em have it Scizor!" The bug and steel type Pokemon looked menacingly at the group before going at them with an X-Scissor.

"Alright, then use Fire Fang!" Ash released his Gliscor and it bit onto the Pokemon.

* * *

Douglass, thinking the group was distracted, quickly ran away. Serena, however, saw him and ran inside. He was placing cages into the back of his jeep. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" she yelled at him.

"Well, I'm leaving to sell this cargo. With you bringing back my missing Spewpa, this was all worth it." He stated.

"Well, you're not going anywhere!" Serena exclaimed, releasing Fennekin.

"Seviper, would you mind?" Suddenly, Serena and her Pokemon were bound up in the snake Pokemon. She grunted in pain as it started to squeeze her. Douglass grabbed one last cage, revealing it to be the one holding Spewpa. "This girl came all this way to save you Spewpa. And now she is in a lot of pain. Doesn't that just make you feel terrible?"

Spewpa panicked. It need to save her. She had saved it and now it was time to return the favour. It charged forward, breaking through the cage with extra adrenalin. It continued forward and jumped up and Tackled the Seviper, knocking it off. Serena hit the floor, coughing and trying to breathe.

"Fine, if that is how you want to be, then Seviper, use Poison Tail!" Douglass commanded.

Spewpa quickly used Protect, shielding them from any damage. It then started to glow, shifting its form. It started to grow wings and slim down. The light faded and in Spewpa's place was a Vivillon. But, instead of the pattern on Viola's Vivillon, its wings were pink, with a yellow shape covering the center of the wings, almost looking like a sun. It then shot a pink beam at Seviper, knocking it out.

Douglass started to panic. He raced to get in his jeep, but Vivillon spit out a String Shot, gluing him in place. It then landed next to Serena, checking to make sure she was alright.

"You evolved!" was the only thing she could say. The Scale Pokemon flew up on top of the girls hair again. She started to giggle as she got up. She picked up Douglass and started to walk him outside. Ash and Michael were just finishing up with Scizor.

"Good work kids." Officer Jenny said. "Thanks to you, we closed this case."

"Do we need to stay for anything?" Ash asked.

"Actually, you can help me release all of the Pokemon Douglass caught."

"The group went to work. When the last of the Spewpa and Scatterbug ran back into the forest, Serena turned her attention to Vivillon. "Okay, are you ready?" It shook its head. It flew up and hugged Serena.

"I think it wants to stay with you Serena." Ash stated.

"Is that right Vivillon?" Serena asked it. It nodded, smiling. "Okay then." She held out a Pokeball and Vivillon touched it with its wing. "I just caught a Vivillon!" She exclaimed.

Ash and Michael simply smiled, already knowing how she felt.

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _I always thought hat Serena should have ended up with a Vivillon. But, then again, Aria did have one, but eh. My fic, I do what I want and I want Vivillon. You get a cookie if you figured out which pattern Serena's Vivillon is._

Burgernator - If you ever read the 20 page comic, "In the Bed" (It's a DeviantArt comic, w/ a more comedic yet sex-filled version between Ash and Serena) by DarkGargo, you could have easily (well at least HINTED) lead onto something similar, that would gradually lead to Gargo's story ( art/In-the-Bed-1-566852305)

 _I just read it. That comic was so fricking funny. If you don't mind a little adult humor, I definitely suggest it.  
_

Pizzalover - Oh man, I loved this chapter with the professor getting kidnapped! It sort of gave me chills when you wrote how Michael's eyes turned black with the coat, so I can't wait until we learn more about the full extent of Michael's powers. Also can't wait to see the motives you chose behind Team Flare briefly kidnapping Sycamore.

#Pizza

 _I'm really glad you liked it. I was going to include something about Team Flare at the end of this chapter, but it was getting a bit long. But, I'm definitely gonig to include it next chapter! As for the eyes, well, you'll see._

 _So, guys. that will be all for the day. See you guys next time!_


	19. A Rush of Ninja Wisdom!

"Alright Froakie!" Ash called to his water starter. "That's enough for now. Take a break!" The blue Pokemon hopped from tree to tree back to the ground.

Our group of heroes have stopped on the path to Cyllage City for a little training session. Michael was in a nearby clearing trying to increase his Quilladin's speed. Serena was also over there, making lunch for the group. The smell of her cooking wafted closer to the Kanto trainer, making his mouth water.

' _Mmmm, do you smell that?'_ Froakie asked, also smelling the food.

"Come on, let's head back." Ash said, leading the way back.

As they got closer, they heard Michael shout commands to his Pokemon. "Come on Quilladin! Grant's Rock types move faster than you!" Ash saw that Quilladin had a large rock tied to his back and was moving at a pretty quick pace for the size of the rock.

"So, how's the training going?" Ash asked.

"Quite well. When we started he couldn't move that rock." Michael turned back to his grass type, "Come on! Another few laps and your done for the day."

"And lunch is almost done!" Serena called.

"How was your training?" Michael asked Ash.

"I had Froakie jumping from tree to tree to get his agility up. He was doing pretty well." Ash praised as Froakie rubbed the back of his head, a habit he must have picked up from his trainer.

"He could have been faster." A voice stated. Michael threw an object, probably made from Aura at where the voice came from. A loud thunk was heard. "That was a bit unnecessary."

"Well, maybe if you didn't sneak up on us then your sleeve wouldn't be stuck to a tree." Michael stated. "And call off your Pokemon. The one in the trees behind us."

"I think we started off on the wrong foot. Let's begin again." A boy Ash's age walked out of the tree line, holding a black throwing knife. He was wearing what looked to be a ninja costume. "I'm Sanpei."

"My name's Ash and this is Michael." Ash introduced. "There is also Serena, someone else that is traveling with us."

"Nice to meet you. How did you know where Frogadier was?" Sanpei asked Michael as said Pokemon jumped next to Sanpei. The knife in his hand started to dissipate.

"That solve your question?" Michael asked.

"Lunch is ready!" Serena called.

"Hey, want to stay for lunch?" Ash asked. "Serena is an amazing cook."

Sanpei was about to decline when his stomach started to growl. "Well, a bite or two couldn't hurt."

* * *

"So your Sanpei?" Serena asked. "Why do you look like a ninja?"

"Well, I am a ninja. I'm actually from the Ninja Village. It's known for the ninjas that come from there." Sanpei answered. He continued to eat, consuming the food quickly, making even Ash look at him weird. "What?"

"You make Ash look like he takes his time." Michael stated.

"I'm sorry, but this is the best thing I've ever tasted!"

"Yeah, Serena's cooking has affect on people." Ash said. Serena blushed at all praise she was getting.

"What did you mean Froakie could go faster?" Ash asked.

"From what I saw, Froakie was only a portion of its potential. If you want, we can have a battle and I'll show you what I mean." Sanpei offered.

"Awesome! You're on!" Ash could not have gotten up faster.

"How about you finish lunch first?" Serena suggested.

Ash sheepishly looked at her. "Yeah, that probably would be a good idea."

They continued to eat, though Ash had sped up. When they were done, they washed the dishes before Ash and Sanpei went to the clearing.

"Okay Froakie, your up!" Ash released his water starter.

"Frogadier, let's go!" Sanpei stated, releasing his Pokemon.

Serena took out her Pokedex to scan the Pokemon. "Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon, and the evolved form of Froakie. Frogadier's speed is unmatched. It can climb a tower over 2,000 feet tall in one minute."

"Water Pulse!" The two trainer commanded at the same time. Both frog Pokemon threw orbs of water at each other, exploding on contact.

"Smoke Screen!" Sanpei ordered. A black smoke started to billow out of Frogadier's mouth. It took seconds to cover the field. "Now use Quick Attack!"

Both Ash and Froakie stood around, trying to see through the smoke. Ash got an idea. "Froakie, use your hearing to find where Frogadier is and use Pound when he gets close!"

After a few seconds, a cry rang out. As the smoke screen dissipated, Frogadier stood triumphant over Froakie.

"Wow. That was impressive." Michael stated.

"Here, have Froakie eat these." Sanpei handed Ash a few blue Oran Berries. "They will help replenish his strength."

Froakie looked dejected as he ate the berries. He felt saddened that he went down so easily.

"I don't think I've ever seen any normal Pokemon move that fast." Ash stated.

"Normal Pokemon?" Serena asked.

"Well, I'd say that the Latios' I've seen moved faster." Ash stated.

"Latios'? As in more than one?" Michael asked.

"I'll tell you the story later." Ash said. "But, could you teach us to move like that? I'm sure that we could use being that fast in our Gym Battles."

Sanpei thought for a moment. "Sure, I'm not in any rush to go anywhere."

"Alright, where do we begin?" Ash said excitedly. Froakie also looked pretty determined.

* * *

The group spent the rest of the day training. Ash, with the assistance of Sanpei, worked with Froakie and his speed while Michael used his Flygon to help Serena and her Fennekin get better at using fire type attacks. They worked through the day and Froakie definitively was getting faster. But he just couldn't nail down Quick Attack. Sanpei suggested that they had another battle to see if maybe in battle Froakie would be able to use the move.

This did not go as planned. Froakie, although moving as fast as he could, could not move as fast as Frogadier and kept getting hit. In his frustration, he thought about if there were more of him that he could have a chance. This thought caused him to create another Froakie, just like himself. Then another one, then another one until there had to be twenty or thirty of him.

"Good job Froakie!" Ash called to him, "You learned Double Team!"

"Frogadier, Quick Attack!" Frogadier sped forward to hit a Froakie, only to have his hand pass through it.

"Use your frubbles and stop him from moving!" All twenty-nine Froakies mimicked each other and threw the stick substance at their opponent. He dodged the first few, but one after another stuck him down. "Now use Pound!"

"Use Smoke Screen!" Sanpei ordered. Like the first time, smoke sprawled across the field and Frogadier escaped.

"Water Pulse!" They both exclaimed and both Frogadier and the Froakies threw their orbs of water at each other, resulting in an explosion.

"Miss. Bellerose," an Officer Jenny began, "I am assigning you a very special assignment."

Julie Bellerose, a new officer on the Lumiose City Police Department, shifted her feet excitedly. "Ma'am?"

"You are aware of the two defendant we brought in yesterday, correct?" Julie nodded. "Can I assume that you have heard about their ramblings then?"

"Uh, no. I haven't heard of anything other that they were brought in." Julie stated, before adding, "Oh, didn't they almost immediately confess to their charges?"

"Yes, but there was something else about them I found weird." Jenny stated. "They were willing to confess as long as "the one in black" didn't get them."

"Wasn't one of the kids that helped bring them in wearing black?"

Jenny nodded affirmatively. "That why you are going to keep an eye on them. I want you to join their group and earn their trust."

"I'll get Growlithe and get on it." Julie said.

"No, Growlithe is too recognizable." Jenny opened a drawer in her desk and removed a Pokeball. "This one will be less recognizable."

* * *

 _Author's Notes_

 _Just incase you have been living under a rock, Pokémon Sun and Moon are out! Woot, woot! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pick up my copy yet, so no spoilers!_

Jbl2abpple - Please keep going! Bringing Michael from XD into XY? That makes me unfathomably happy. Only Wes and Rui could make me happier, something I plan on doing in my own fic!

And I too have read the "In the bed" series. Fucking hilarious, I need more of that in my life

 _Well, I'm glad that you like the fact I brought Michael in. But other than brief video calls or mentions, Wes and Rui will not be making appearances purely just because I don't know why they would come to Kalos._

 _But, that looks to be all folks! I hope to see you next week!_


	20. An Apology

_I am so sorry. I feel that the best way to begin this is by saying that, I am sorry. It has been seven months and I have not done anything relating to Champions. The reason for this is that I have lost my motivation for this story. I feel that I have been unfair in that I haven't even tried making a new part until now. But, onto the matter at hand._

 _Until I am motivated again to write about Ash and the crew, Champions is on hiatus. I don't know when or even if I will come back to the story. I just feel so defeated by the anime right now that I can't bring myself to write anything. I have spent these last few months trying and I just can't._

 _Sun and Moon is the leading cause of my lack of motivation. PokemonRangerBoy12 on YouTube made a great video describing how I am feeling with the franchise right, so watch that too. You will find that I will be saying some of the things he did in his video, but like I said, he captured my feelings for S &M. To understand why S&M feels like a gut punch to me, you have to understand my mindset coming into XY._

 _I hated Ash Ketchum._

 _At that point in my life, I thought that he was the worse character of all time and that the series had nothing good left in it. Then I saw an episode of XY and I was hooked again. I saw Ash's slimed down and amazing redesign, his badass new team and his newest traveling companions and I loved it. But, it truly wasn't Ash who had initially brought me back. It was Serena. I won't deny that at first, it was because I was only interested with how they would pursue the fact she had a crush on Ash. But as I continued to watch the show and they showed more of who she was, I became invested in her character. She, like myself at times, had no goal or dream to follow. She was just there for the ride. And then she found her calling in being a Performer and I truly felt happy for her._

 _I loved watching the series, seeing the rises and the falls. I got to the Pokémon League and I was so sure that Ash would win. And then came the first gut punch. By no means was Ash's and Alain's battle a bad one, but it felt so disappointing that Alain still won, even though we've seen that Greninja could have taken Mega Charizard down. It almost took out Diantha's Mega Gardevoir for crying out loud. It was easy to get over, however, because of the badass battles against Team Flare and the kiss in the last episode._

 _And then the second gut punch was thrown. I've talked about my feelings on S &M and how Ash was going to be going to school, but at that point it looked like that would only be for a single arc. Now it is evident that this is going to be around the entire series. S&M just seems so bad in comparison to XYZ that I barely recognize the series that I had just come to love again. I just felt so repulsed and demoralized by it. S&M has nothing that I loved of the Kalos journeys. I honestly don't care about any of the characters and I only hope that Ash will beat each of the trials because the faster he does, the faster this series will be over with._

 _I have once again begun to hate Ash Ketchum._

 _He shows none of the character progression that he did in XY and XYZ. Remember that depression that was central to the middle of the XYZ season that just showed how much of a person Ash actually was and that he could only take so much? Well, apparently the writers have, as he seems to have once again regressed as a character and I highly doubt that with the tone that S &M has that we will ever get something that mature for a while. He just doesn't seem like the character I grew to love. As pointed out by PRB12, Ash is shown as only being concern about his friends when he gets something out of it and this isn't the Ash I came to respect. This isn't the Ash Ketchum who put off his own dream so that they could go to something that he had no stake in. This isn't the Ash who I thought could win a League. And I hate him._

 _People talk about whether or not Serena will come back in S &M and my opinion is this; if the series doesn't improve soon, I hope we don't see her. Like I said, I love Serena and the very thought of what S&M could do to her terrifies me. If she comes back, she could be the same impulsive girl that left her home town to be with some boy or even worse. I want to see the strong willed girl that she became by the end of the series, the girl who would leave everything behind to better herself and to continue on her way to realizing her goal. I want to see the girl brave enough to run up to the boy that she had a crush on and kiss him on the lips. That's who I want to see, not who she was before._

 _But, I am sorry. This was meant to be an apology, not a rant. Like I said, I am planning on continuing Champions and finishing the story, but not right now. Maybe not for a while. But I will. And that is a promise._


End file.
